Waking the Dead

    In horror movies, one thing is always true: Dead people are scary. Zombies wander the streets looking for dinner. Ghosts come back to haunt the houses where they died. And a cemetery is not a place to be after dark. 

    You usually want the dead to stay dead.

    But in Mexico, there’s one time of year when everyone tries to keep the dead alive—at least in memory. It’s a time when skeletons aren’t scary and cemeteries are a place to party. It’s the holiday Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

    In horror movies, one thing is always true: Dead people are scary. Zombies walk the streets looking for dinner. Ghosts come back to haunt the houses where they died. And a cemetery is not a place to be after dark.

    You usually want the dead to stay dead.

    But in Mexico, there’s one time of year when people try to keep the dead alive—at least in memory. It’s a time when skeletons aren’t scary and cemeteries are a place to party. It’s the holiday Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

    In horror movies, dead people are always scary. Zombies wander the streets looking for dinner, and ghosts come back to haunt the houses where they died. A cemetery is never a good place to be after dark.

    You usually want the dead to stay dead.

    But in Mexico, there’s one time of year when everyone tries to keep the dead alive—at least in memory. It’s a time when skeletons aren’t scary and cemeteries are a place to party. It’s the holiday Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

    A holiday all about death may sound sad. But the Day of the Dead is a celebration. It’s a time to remember the lives of loved ones. It’s also a time to accept that death is a natural part of life—and greet it with a party.

    Sometimes, the party happens in the cemetery. Families gather around the graves with food and music. They spend the night eating and dancing. People dress up as skeletons. They paint their faces to look like skulls. Often they wear shells or other noisemakers to wake up the dead.

    At school, students write short, humorous poems called calaveritas. The poems are meant to tease friends and family by imagining funny ways they might die. 

    In recent years, the Day of the Dead has made it to the United States. Major celebrations happen in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and other cities. That means you might meet a few skeletons on the street this November. If you do, don’t be scared. They’re just welcoming back the dead.

    A holiday all about death may sound sad. But the Day of the Dead is a celebration. It’s a time to remember loved ones. It’s also a time to accept that death is a part of life and to greet it with a party.

    Sometimes, the party is in the cemetery. People eat and dance there. They dress up as skeletons. They paint their faces to look like skulls. Some wear noisemakers to wake the dead.

    At school, students write short poems called calaveritas. The poems are meant to tease friends with funny ways they might die.

    Now, the Day of the Dead has made it to the United States. Events take place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and other cities. So you might see some skeletons on the street this fall. If you do, don’t worry. They’re just welcoming back the dead.

    A holiday all about death might sound sad—but the Day of the Dead is a celebration, a time to remember the lives of loved ones. It’s also a time to accept that death is a natural part of life—and greet it with a party.

    Sometimes, the party happens in the cemetery. Families gather around the graves with food and music. They spend the night eating and dancing. People dress up as skeletons and paint their faces to look like skulls. Often they wear shells or other noisemakers to wake up the dead.

    At school, students write short, humorous poems called calaveritas. The poems are meant to tease friends and family by imagining funny ways they might die.

    In recent years, the Day of the Dead has made it to the United States. Major celebrations happen in a number of cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Antonio. That means you just might meet a few skeletons on the street this November. If you do, don’t be scared—they’re just welcoming back the dead.