Don't be afraid of El Dia de los Muretos

“Don't be afraid of El Dia de los Muretos - the Day of the Dead” my mama said.

“This is a happy holiday!” She told me that this ancient holiday began as a day of thanks for the harvest, when people gather crops for the winter.

Josephina she said, “It then became a time put aside to remember and celebrate our ancestors and people we love that have died.”

For three day my family and friends celebrate!

On the first day, my mother helped me to put flowers on graveyards of my grand parents. We chose yellow and red chrysanthemum. At home we also put flowers around the house in vases with cards.

We created an altar in the living room. My mother said that the altar was like a scrapbook or a photo album. Pictures of all our loved ones who dies, along with favorite loved objects and other mementoes; like jewelry, were placed on the altar. I then helped mama make grandma and grandpa’s favorite foods.

On the second day, we had a big celebration and serve the food we made the day before. We eat candies shaped like skeletons, and all our family and friends came by to dance and sing. It was so much fun, a lot like a birthday party!

On the third day, the entire neighborhood came together for parades and floats with costumed characters. Coffins are carried that have people in them dressed in skeleton outfits with bright paper flowers and streamers.

My mama told me, “Many superstitions have been added over the years, but for the most part, this ancient holiday is as it always was - a time of remembrance and love.”

So, don't be afraid of Day of the Dead