The ofrendas are usually multi-leveled, covered with typical foods like tamales and mole, flowers, pictures of the individuals, and other decorations representing important connections to the people being celebrated, such as the things they enjoyed when they were alive.
You can find the meaning of the Day of the Dead in its name! The tradition exists because people in Mexico want to honor and celebrate the lives of those who have died. An important belief for many people who celebrate this holiday is that death is not a bad or scary thing, but actually something necessary, because without death we wouldn’t have life. Is this the same or different from how people in the United States or people in your family usually think about death? Because the people in Mexico generally view death with a positive perspective, the holiday is happy, beautiful and really important. The families like to think that during the Day of the Dead, the spirits of their family members who have passed away are with them on earth enjoying the celebrations. Do you think people’s beliefs are connected to their traditions?
Two really important elements of this holiday are an orange flower called flor de cempasúchil and typical Mexican dishes. During this time of year, you can see the cempasúchil (pronounced Kem-pah-sue-chill) flower all over the town as decorations, being sold in the markets or growing in the countryside. Farmers grow this flower in big quantities because many people buy it to decorate their altars.
