Celebrating el Día de los Muertos
Has anyone ever asked what exactly we're celebrating when we celebrate Halloween in Chile? Why does half of the city go around dressed up as an animal, superhero, vampire, or worse, running around asking for candy.
Besides, why are there Halloween parties? I understand that we celebrate the Day of the Dead, but really? Like this?
The real history of Halloween originates from pagan festivals, Celtic culture, and some elements of Roman culture. The festival was called "Samhain" (Halloween), and it marked the moment when nature began to decay, between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Now, what's interesting is that during this period of Samhain, the Dark Goddess of Death and the Transformation of the Subterranean World, rose up to walk the Earth and look the living in the eyes.
Nevertheless, this has been misinterpreted, since the idea of honoring death is not about worshiping dark forces, but rather a collective memorial to those loved ones who are no longer among the living and who represent the wisdom of society and the guardians of our well-being.
This is why in Mexico it is celebrated with skull candies, mass visits to cemeteries with both tears and happiness when remembering the dead whose spirits, according to theory, visit Earth on that day.
Now, if you still feel like eating candy, go ahead, but also remember the deceased, and honor them on that day.
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