Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead started as an old Aztec religious festival. Although it sounds scary, it is actually the opposite: it is a celebration of life. The Aztecs believed in life after death, so death was not feared. The Spanish were surprised by the celebration. However, instead of losing this beloved tradition, the Spanish, changed it to fit in with their own beliefs by merging it with the Catholic All Saints’ Day.

It is now a two-day festival to remember loved ones who have died. It is still celebrated in November in Mexico. It is called The Day of the Dead, or ‘Dia de los Muertos’ in Spanish. People use colourful skulls and skeletons dressed in brightly-coloured clothes to show that death should not be feared.