I. WHAT IS IT?

In short

Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico (and some other countries) made to show appreciation for those who have passed to the afterlife. People celebrate with food, altars, marigolds, and facepaint. This page pretty much compiles all the research I've done for it.

The history

Many people have conflicting views on what the actual origin of the holiday is, though no one can deny that the indigenous groups in Mexico's pre-colombian era had very similar traditions of honoring the dead. They had several days or weeks devoted to remembering those who passed with things such as flowers, food, and music.

Such practices continued until the Spanish conquistadors came around. Long story short, they sucked, but their practices in Europe blended with the native's culture to create a unique holiday that's now celebrated every year in Mexico. Even without Spanish influence, Day of the Dead has evolved in its traditions. How it's celebrated can even depend whether you live in Mexico or somewhere else, like America.

Celebrating it

Day of the Dead is celebrated every November 1st and 2nd. November 1st is a day to celebrate small kids, or angelitos, and the 2nd is dedicated to adults. Despite it only being observed for only two days, many people take extra time and care to prepare.

An important icon of DotD is the altar, or ofrenda, where ancestors are honored. The point of the ofrendas is to make coming back to the living realm appealing to souls who have passed away, so all are filled with favorite foods, drinks, objects, and photos of the deceased. An altar can also have multiple levels to represent different stages of life, such as earth, heaven, the underworld, etc.

Here are some things you can put on an altar and their meanings:

Even though many ofrendas are found in houses, they are also put up in public spaces including parks, schools, and cemetaries. Some families choose to stay near their ofrendas, hold picnics at them, or even sleep near them.

Depending on the region of Mexico you're in, some towns have different foods and ways to celebrate. Regardless of how they do it, though, the message of reflecting on death and honoring those close to you is always present.

Foooooooood

I need a break from the frilly writing. Let's just talk about yummy food, okay?

Pan de Muertos / Dead Bread: A food so integral to the holiday that it's named after it. Pan de Muerto is a sweet bread similar to brioche that often has shapes of skulls and bones added on top.
Calaveras / Sugar Skulls: Pretty self-explanatory: skulls of sugar with bright and vibrant decor. Sadly, these are more for decoration on an ofrenda rather than actual consumption.
Tamales: A yummy traditional Mexican food made with corn paste. None of the sources state a specific reason for why it's so popular for DotD other than being used as an offering, but I'm not complaining.

Paraphernalia

Misc stuff that is associated with DotD that I put in a handy dandy list.



Butterflies: Butterflies are used to represent the cycle of life and death. Funny enough, they also migrate south around the season when Day of the Dead starts.
Marigolds: A marigold's scent is said to be powerful enough to attract souls. Families sometimes leave their petals in a line that helps souls find their way from cemetaries to loved one's houses.
Papel Picado: Meaning pecked paper, papel picado is Mexican folk art made by cutting art into stacks of tissue paper. On Day of the Dead, they can be found on an ofrenda to represent the fragility of life and the element of air.
La Catrina: The 'mascot' for Day of the Dead. Drawn first by famous artist José Guadalupe Posada, Catrina is supposed to represent that no matter how elegant you dress or how nice you act...you're still going to end up dead.

II. IN RELATION TO IMAGO DAZE

Why this holiday?

I talk a lot in the meta lore part of this site about how it excites me to see a mash up of culture / worldbuilding and plot in stories. How does that fit in with Day of the Dead, and what's the significance the holiday holds on the story?

First of all, it's the whole reason why the conflict of Imago Daze exists in the first place. Santiago needs to get back home for it; if they didn't, they would have never met Hazel or Emelda. It's also their favorite holiday, which characterizes them as someone loyal to both their culture and family.

It's also a great way to showcase the themes of the story: tradition vs the future, devotion to your family, and life and death. Even if it wasn't, it's still a really cool holiday that people should learn more about. Looking at you in the back, Hazel.

How does Santiago celebrate?

Specifically, how do they usually celebrate it, since 2002's Day of the Dead has gone anything but as planned for that poor guy.

It starts of with them arriving back in Guadalajara a few weeks or so before the festivities. They help their mom prepare for the day by setting up the ofrenda, harvesting marigolds, and making sure they have all the ingredients to make fresh food (because of COURSE they home bake everything).

Then, on the night of October 31st, Santiago spends an all-nighter preparing for the next day. They open up a portal from the realm of the dead that lets all the eager kids return to their families. On Dia de los Angelitos, you can find them either guiding lost kids or helping their mom with any last touches for tomorrow.

Later that evening, they'll be prepping for the main event. They do the same as they did with the children, opening up a portal. This time, it's for the adults. And you can guess who Santiago is most excited to see: their dad.

The next day is quiet and reflective. Santiago and the rest of his family spend the whole day together, eating, talking, and sharing stories (since their mom can't see her husband, Santiago usually interprets what he's saying to her). They'll catch up on what's been happening in the past year and go out on walks, visit people, etc. Unfortunately, their fun ends later that day when Santiago opens the portal back to the land of the dead. Their dad gives them happy birthday wishes, and the family parts ways.

...Wait, does Santiago realize how much of an advantage they have for this holiday?!

They sure do, and they've complained about it not being fair before. In their words, it's a crime other people won't get to experience the holiday like them - but that doesn't mean they don't try to balance it out for others.

If they spare the time, they'll go around and announce to neighbors that their ofrendas are being occupied, or that they saw a loved one come out of a portal. After the holiday is over, they're also sure to tell living loved ones anything else exciting that happened, or if there was something special that a soul wanted them to know.

III. SOURCES

Shout out to all these sources that helped me keep Imago Daze accurate and respectful! Note that there are also some Youtube vids I used, but they aren't here because I forgot what their exact title was. Also a special shoutout to Pixar's Coco and The Book of Life! :D

• Google Arts and Culture
• Wikipedia
• National Geographic
• UC Davis Medical Center
• the most goated site ever