In English it’s the Day of the Dead. This is a festive holiday that started in the early 1500s in Mexico when Spanish invaders brought it there. Traditionally, it’s a holiday celebrated mostly in Mexico on Nov 1 and 2. It’s the festival of a family reunion, except dead ancestors are the guests of honour. Even though families may feel sad missing loved ones, they do not cry on this Day. In their tradition, the elders say the road back to the world of the living must not be made slippery by tears. In addition, sugar skulls would be created as gifts for children and family members. Unlike the ghoulish skulls and skeletons associated with Halloween, these brightly colored skulls represent the departed souls in the circle of life.
Relevance with Halloween? The root word of Halloween is “hallow”,’ which means “holy”, while “een” stands for “evening.” Halloween refers to the Eve of All Hallows. According to Britannica, Halloween can be traced to the ancient festival of Samhain, which was a Celtic holiday celebrated on Nov 1 where the souls of the dead returned to their homes. People would dress in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits. Nowadays, Halloween is non-religious but a time for spooky costumes, pumpkin carvings, and trick-or-treat.
I am thankful to having visited Mexico with my dearest niece mainly for the Dia de los Muertos years ago. The hotel where we stayed had a temporary altar set up in memory of the dead in the lobby. On the streets, we saw colorful skulls, altars with offerings such as beautiful flowers (mainly marigolds that Mexicans believe would attract the souls of the dead), all of which are central to the celebration. On that very night, we went to a graveyard but without a sense of fear. What followed was a parade near our hotel. Everyone there just treated it like a carnival parade, with fun and respect mixed up. It was in no way a sad day.
In Chinese traditions, there’s a similar day but which falls in the 7th month of the Lunar calendar. During the whole month, it’s common to see neighborhoods burn joss paper and other paper offerings along the curbside at night, for own family members or even any spirits. In fact, Chinese people usually set up small home altars for ancestors, not merely for a few days like the Mexicans do but for years. I would say one distinctive feature between Mexican and Chinese is the general atmosphere. As I had experienced, Mexicans are joyful, adding colorful skulls and offerings. For Chinese, it’s much more solemn, somehow even a scary feeling. And for Christians, they believe in God who granted them the Holy calmness and protection against the world of darkness. Perhaps this is what the interesting (cultural) difference is.
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