There’s more to Halloween than goofy costumes and trick-or-treating. In fact, Halloween is actually a precursor to two other holidays that start today: All Saints’ Day and Day of the Dead.
The UMHS Endeavour takes a look at these two November holidays because, as a multicultural medical school, we celebrate different cultures as we educate future doctors about keeping people healthy and saving lives. We think it is admirable to honor loved ones who are no longer with us
In the USA and Canada, we celebrate Halloween on October 31st each year. Halloween (short for All Hallows’ Evening) is traced back to the Irish and Scottish ancient Celtic holiday Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"), “a celebration of the end of harvest season in Gaelic culture,” according to the website HalloweenHistory.org.
Halloween is a holiday that promotes fear of the dead, but All Saints’ Day and Day of the Dead both celebrate the deceased. The dead (including Catholic Saints) are honored on All Saints’ Day on November 1. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is a two-day celebration honoring both deceased children and adults. Some Mexicans make it a week-long celebration, beginning October 28 and ending on November 2.
“The practice of celebrating the dead goes back thousands of years in South American cultures,” according to HalloweenHistory.org. “In the Aztec culture, the celebration of the dead was in August and went on for a month. During that time the people paid tribute to Catrina, the Goddess of Death, who was portrayed as a skeleton. When the Catholic faith became entrenched in South America, the festival of the dead was changed into the Day of the Dead and timed to coincide with All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day.”
Latin American Views of Los Muertos
November 1 and 2 are national holidays in Mexico and many South American countries. People in these nations welcome the spirits of deceased family members. In Mexico, All Saint’s Day is celebrated with the first day of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), known as “Día de los Inocentes,” honoring deceased children and infants. Some religions and cultures call November 2nd All Souls’ Day.
(Photo, inset right) MEXICAN SUGAR SKULL: These skulls can be found throughout Mexico on Dia De Los Muertos. Photo: 123rf.com
On these holidays in Mexico, marigolds are everywhere, as people believe this flower attracts the spirits of the dead. People wear the clothes of departed relatives. They paint skulls on their faces and wear skeleton masks and costumes. Altars are built in homes to honor loved ones. Some even eat and drink the favorite foods and beverages of the departed.
Antonio Weiss writes in British newspaper The Guardian about the Nobel prize-winning Mexican writer Octavio Paz and his thoughts on Mexican attitudes toward death in the famous book, Labyrinth of Solitude:
"The Mexican ... is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it,” Octavio Paz wrote. “True, there is as much fear in his attitude as in that of others, but at least death is not hidden away: he looks at it face to face, with impatience, disdain or irony."
(Top photo) HONORING THE DEAD IN MEXICO: Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altars often include sunflowers & marigolds, a cross, a tequila flask & a skull sporting a sombrero. Photo: 123rf.com
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Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at UMHS and editor of the UMHS Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about UMHS students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and UMHS research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.
