Day of the Dead | Dia dos Mortos | Dia de los Muertos | All Souls Day
[Portuguese below the English] Hello everyone. Long post, but lots of interesting info about today. Today is Day of the Dead, also known around the world as All Souls Day, Dia dos Mortos here in Brasil, and Dia de los Muertos in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. It's also one of my favorite holidays of the year. Not because I love death, but because today is a day to honor and commemorate the lives of the dearly departed and to welcome the return of their spirits. The Day of the Dead dates back to Aztec culture and is predominantly a Mexican holiday with traditional practices, such as placing marigold flowers on altars and offering certain food items, which are thought to help spirits return to visit the living. To commemorate the dead, people also dress up in colourful skeleton costumes. The origin of All Souls' Day in Brazil is linked to Catholic tradition, which established November 2nd in the 10th century as a day for praying for the d...