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Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead: Guide

Dia de los Muertos

marigold flowerWhat is Día de los Muertos?

Celebrations begin with the cleaning of the graves and the construction of the ofrenda, or altar. At home this consists of a table or platform hung from the ceiling, covered with a white cloth and supporting an arch of palm fronds. The ofrenda are decorated with flowers, particularly the cempasúchil (marigold), the "flower of the dead," as well as the magenta-colored cockscomb, a white gypsophila, gladioli, and carnations. The same flowers are also used to decorate tombs, and the sweet smell of copal, the Native American incense, is ubiquitous. Other altar decorations include images of the deceased as well as papeles picados, colored paper with cutout designs. Continue . . .

Source: Pilcher, Jeffrey M. "Day of The Dead." Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, edited by Solomon H. Katz, vol. 1, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003, pp. 505-506. From Gale eBooks database.

Book Collection

Day of the Dead in the USA, Second Edition
Day of the Dead in the USA: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead Folk Art
Day of the Dead: Día De Los Muertos
The Story Behind Day of the Dead
Skulls to the living, bread to the dead : [the day of the dead in Mexico and beyond]
Days of Death, Days of Life: Ritual in the Popular Culture of Oaxaca

Resources

From Films On Demand database:

Calendar of Events- Chaffey College 2022


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