we-make-it-ourselves:

Okay, let’s get something straight here: 

Día De Los Muertos is not “A Mexican Halloween”

If you did not know that, it is alright it is not your job to know everything about ever culture but allow me to explain exactly what Day of the Dead is: 

• Día De Los Muertos/ Day of the Dead is a celebration but not so much of one like Halloween, 
• In the mornings there are typically parades all filled with laughter, dance, beautiful decorations, and music of course it is fun we celebrate the life we have
• But we don’t paint our faces and go parading down the street for nothing, its not a thing we do just because it is fun 
• We MOURN
• We honor those who has passed and made the journey to the afterlife
• Each year families to to Grave sights (which are NOT for your aesthetically pleasing selfies please) to pay respects and visit those who have already gone
• Mexicans and Hispanics are very family oriented people, at the grave sights you can often hear mother wailing out for their children who passed too soon or men knelt over their mother’s grave sobbing and of course children crying for their parents
• People pray and cry out, they sob and scream
• Yes it is a day of remembrance and we honor them but it is still painful, we miss those who once walked with us
• Families and friends typically bring favorite food, flowers, drinks, etc to the graveyards 
• Do NOT make fun of that. Please.
• DON’T post skeleton memes aimed at Day of The Dead, the calavera/sugar skulls are meant to represented the parted souls of loved ones with names etched onto the forehead and the skulls painted on our faces are meant to ward off more death
• DON’T disrespect grave sights, this is an obvious thing not to do people 
• DON’T  celebrate if you do not intend of respecting and honoring those who have passed and just want it as a second Halloween 
• DON’T mock people celebrating or any of the traditions 
• DON’T mess the with petals, those orange petals are from a flower called 

  cempoalxochitl, and they are meant to help guide the dead back to their homes so their spirits can too visit 

Don’t get me wrong Day of the Dead isn’t always sad it is also fun and amazing and beautiful, we not only honor those who have gone but we celebrate those who have lived this long, we celebrate the life we have and acknowledge the fact we made it this far, death is a natural cycle, death will take us all one day but not today, and that is the reason why we celebrate! It is a beautifully melancholy holiday, and remember Day of the Dead is actually multiple days do please be mindful!