Dia de los Muertos - The Day of the Dead blends Christian traditions with pre-Columbian beliefs about the afterlife. The flavors of this holiday vary throughout Mexico, reflecting regional differences in customs and beliefs. The actual Dia de los Muertos is November 2, a national holiday when everyone heads for the cemetery to place flowers on loved ones' grave. But on the night before, many Mexican towns host huge grave-side family picnics.
Pre-Columbian beliefs held that people who died bravely in battle or childbirth went directly to a place like paradise. Most everyone else, however, spent the first few years after death wandering through the darkness, looking for a place to rest. Since body and soul were not seen as separate, it was assumed that the dead would still suffer hunger and thirst.
On this night, the spirits are invited to have something to eat and drink and commune once again with their loved ones before returning to the darkness. Nobody expects the souls of the departed to literally eat the food; that is left for the living, when the holiday is over. But the idea is that the spirits will smell the food prepared for them and taste its essence.
