OCTOBER 31st HALLOWEEN & DAY OF THE DEAD-MEXICO Halloween is celebrated all over the world on October 31st and the day of the Dead is a festivity that takes place in Mexico on November 2nd. Both celebrations have many characteristics in common. BACKGROUND Halloween originated as a pagan festival especially in Northern Europe. Some people claim that Halloween is the day on which spirits try to contact living people. As it takes place one evening before Christian All Saints’ Day, it is also called All Saints’ Eve. The Day of the Death in Mexico is a day when families and friends get together to pray for and honour people who have died. This celebration can be traced back to around 3000 years ago. Indigenous cultures used to celebrate it throughout the ninth month of the Aztec calendar. WHAT DO PEOPLE DO? Typical festive activities for Halloween include the use of costumes and masks, carving lanterns out of pumpkins, playing pranks, telling scary stories and playing trick or treats. Halloween costumes range from vampires, ghosts and skeletons to witches and devil creatures. Some traditions connected to the day of the Dead include honoring the deceased using marigolds, decorating sugar skulls, and visiting their graves to offer them food and beverages.
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