46. The Day of The Death

Source: National Geography

Fans of Pixar loves Coco. For me, it is one of the greatest animated features of all time. Coco is colorful, heartwarming, yet culturally sensitive. But this blog is not about my favorite animated movie. It is about the cultural context of Coco. The movie was set during Dia de Los Muertos: the Day of the Dead. It is the festival that reunites the living and the dead. And no, it is not a Latin American version of Halloween.

Dia de Los Muertos or Day of The Day is a Mexican festival celebrated throughout Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere on the 2nd of November every year. On this day, families create offerings or ofrendas to their departed family members. The family members come together to gather and remember the dead. In this way, they support the dead in their spiritual journey. Interestingly, Dia de Los Muertos is very different from Halloween, which is a night of terror and mischief. Day of the Dead is a colorful festival, which honors the dead and demonstrates love and respect for the deceased. The day is marked with parades and parties with people dressing up in skulls and funky makeup and costumes. During these days, the family members also take the opportunity to clean and decorate the graveyards of their loved ones. Candles and flowers set the mood during this day throughout graveyards in Mexico.

Historians trace the roots of this colorful festival to as long as 2,500 and 3,000 years. The modern version of this festival fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar. The festivities were dedicated to the goddess known as the “Lady of the Dead”. Since the dawn of the 20th century, November 1 is celebrated as Dia de Los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents or Little Angels” and November 2 as Dia de Los Muertos.

The Day of The Day is also recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by adding it to its list of holidays of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" in 2008. In some respects, the Day of the Day is a true celebration of life.