I love el Día de los Muertos with all its beautiful imagery and wonderful rituals. Even though I am of Mexican heritage, I can't say that I grew up celebrating it, that didn't happen until recently. Quite frankly, for a long time it confused me why it was called Day of the Dead when it is celebrated for more than one day. Shouldn't it be called Days of the Dead? And why is it celebrated November 1 and November 2?
Read more ¿Qué más?: Día de los muertos DIY project: Super cute chalkboard vases
Again, being honest here, it is all still a bit confusing to me. The Day of the Dead celebration lands on the same days as the religious holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, which totally makes sense since Day of the Dead is a celebration that originated in Mexico many centuries ago and has become a blending of pre-Hispanic indigenous beliefs and Catholic ideology. Great, but I'm not very religious so I still don't really understand why Day of the Dead is more than one day long.
November 1 (All Saints' Day) is the day for honoring dead children and infants. Aww, of course, they should totally get their own day. November 2 (All Souls' Day) is the day for honoring adults who have died. The distinction does seem to line up with the Catholic holidays. Rev. Richard Donohoe, vicar of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Birmingham says, "All Saints is a celebration of the communion of saints, those people we believe are in heaven, through good works and God's grace," whereas All Souls' Day is a day for praying for all souls.
So there you have it, the difference between All Saints' Day and All Souls's Day and why Day of the Dead is more than one day.
Image via Thinkstock
