The Day of the Dead is a very original and fun holiday. It was established by the Aztecs when the Christian priests from Spain came over to the Americas. The Aztec mixed one of their celebrations of honoring the dead with the Christian holidays of All Soul's Day and All Saint's Day. It is celebrated on November 1st through the 2nd. Today, Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and in certain parts of the United States and Central America.
             Octavio Paz, a noble peace prize winner, wrote the labyrinth of solitude. It is an essay on Mexican culture which talks a lot about the Day of the Dead. In this book he touches on the difference between American and Mexican cultures. The Mexicans look at death as good thing, and they celebrate the fact that they will be in a better place when they die. Americans are the other way around. They are scared of death, and one of the things we most fear in this country.
             The Day of the Dead resembles many different holidays. It is most similar to the American celebration of Thanksgiving. Although many people think of Thanksgiving just as a time to eat a ton of food, it is much more than just that. It is a time to reflect on your passed family and friends. During Thanksgiving we tell stories of our late family members, and remember the good times with them. This is very similar to the Day of the Dead celebration.
             In Mexico, people visit the panteon, or cemetery, where their loved ones are buried. They decorate gravesites with great alters, marigold flowers, and candles. The most popular flower is the cempazuchitl, or the flower of the dead. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones. People make special bread called Pan de Muerto, or dead bread. The also make mole which is a spicy sweet brown sauce mixed with chicken, invented by the Puebla.
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