The Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead, also called "Dia de los Muertos", is a holiday (or festival)
celebrated in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and other areas in Central and South
America, but also in the United States (California, Texas, ...)
It is celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd.

This holiday is a time when people remember family members who have died.
Although this celebration is associated with the dead, it is not a depressing time,
but rather a period full of life, happiness, color, food, family, and fun. There is
excitement everywhere. In many areas, outdoor markets sell many symbolic goods,
such as special breads, flowers, pottery, baskets, candles, paper puppets, candy
skulls, etc.

The main symbols of this holiday are skulls and skeletons, which are displayed
throughout the cities. Marigolds, the "flower of the dead", are another significant
symbol for the Day of the Dead festivity, and people believe that their scent is
"attracts the souls and draws them back."

People celebrate this holiday in their homes, between Oct. 31st and Nov. 2nd (a
time called "Todos Santos"), preparing offerings of food and drink for the dead.
On Nov. 2nd, family members visit the gravesites of their loved ones. They
decorate their graves with flowers, enjoy picnics with the favorite foods of the
deceased, and socially interact with others at the cemetery.

The common foods of this holiday include pan de los muertos ("bread of the
dead"), candy in the shape of skulls, skeletons, and coffins, and many favorite
Mexican dishes (tamales, moles, chiles, enchiladas).
Halloween

Halloween is celebrated on October the 31st every year. It originated from a pagan
holiday and the Christian holiday of All Saints’ Day or All Hallows’ Day .
The name Halloween is a shortened version of All Hallows’ Eve.

Today, it is more of a fun day for children and has largely lost its religious roots.
Halloween is probably most famous in the US. Irish immigrants took it to America
in the mid-1600s and it slowly spread across the country.

Halloween is not celebrated in many countries around the world although many
people know about it. Some Christians are not so happy that people celebrate
Halloween. They believe the holiday is un-Christian because of its origin as a
pagan "festival of the dead."

Halloween has many easily identifiable symbols. The colours orange and black are
widely used. In particular, orange pumpkins and fires and black witches, cats and
costumes are common features of this day. One of the biggest Halloween activities
is trick-or-treating. This is when children knock on doors and ask for a small gift.
If they don’t get anything, they’ll play a trick on the person who opens the door.

Food also plays a big part of Halloween. Toffee apples are very popular and so is
anything made from pumpkin. Halloween is also a popular topic for Hollywood.
Many horror movies have been made about it. Because of this, Halloween is now
known in many countries that never actually celebrate it.