Catholic missionaries readily drew parallels between the Dia de los Muertos and the Catholic holiday All Saints Day. The synthesis of All Saints Day with Dia de los Muertos allowed the native population of Mexico and their descendants to continue practicing their ancestral traditions. The Dia de los Muertos has widespread popular culture appeal because of the amusing, colorful imagery of skulls and skeletons. Tourists to Mexico enjoy participating in the ceremonies or viewing the parades for entertainment value. The colorful costumes and calacas masks look like a combination of frightening and fun. Many who view the festival as an outsider miss out on the opportunity for personal reflection that the holiday entails. The Dia de los Muertos celebrations offer a chance to honor ancestors: the men and women whose blood flows through our bodies. Similarly, the Dia de los Muertos encourages reflection on social traditions and allows the current generation to appreciate life.

Like most Mexican holidays, the Dia de los Muertos...

Thus, the holiday is not wholly centered on death even though emblems of the Dead are everywhere in the skull-shaped imagery and food items. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Day of the Dead is its co-occurrence with the ancient Celtic pagan holiday Samhain, which is the precursor to Halloween. Both Samhain and the Day of the Dead were transformed into Christian holidays even though they have pagan origins. Furthermore, both the Day of the Dead and Samhain honor the dead at the same time of year.
Works Cited

Hernandez, Aracely. "Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)." 1998. Northern Notes/Northern Illinois University. http://www3.niu.edu/newsplace/nndia.html

Michoacan: The Altar." Retrieved Nov 14, 2007 at http://www.dayofthedead.com/TraditionAltars.html

Miller, Carlos. "Indigenous people wouldn't let 'Day of the Dead' die." AZ Central. Retrieved Nov 14, 2007 at http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/history