Let’s play a game: if we give you 5 words, would you be able to guess the country we’re talking about? Let’s try….
- Colors
- Happiness
- Identity
- Culture
- ‘Ahorita’
Do you know? We imagine that it was easy to guess since Mexico is known for these concepts and many more. We couldn’t fit our list of all the things we admire about Mexico and its culture. And since learning more about Day of the Dead, we must say that we are even more enamored!
History of Day of the Dead
This popular Mexican celebration is intended to honor and celebrate the life of one’s ancestors. For several days, Mexico celebrates one of its largest and increasingly international holidays, which was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2003.
Day of the Dead takes place on November 2nd, although the celebration begins on November 1st. As a result, the celebration is divided into two days during which Mexicans honor their deceased loved ones through rituals that combine Catholic beliefs with those of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations. The popular belief is that the souls of the dead return from the afterlife during those days to visit their families.
From Mexico to the World: A global celebration
The great Frida Kahlo is one of Mexico’s great icons because of her excellence, and the popularity of Day of the Dead in other parts of the world is as well.
The ways of celebrating this holiday are as diverse as Mexican culture itself, but there are certain elements that are essential to celebrating Day of the Dead.
As the world becomes a more global place and people move to new countries, enriching them with their own culture and traditions, celebrations like Day of the Dead are more widely represented around the world.
Creating an altar with these colorful resources
Now you know a little more about this popular Mexican holiday. To celebrate Day of the dead, several community members from Mexico requested that Genially create original resources related to the day that could be used in their interactive creations.
At their request, we’ve created a template where users can create their own altar in Genially, also known as an ofrenda. This is one of the most fundamental elements of the tradition. To make it simple, we’ve prepared this presentation where users can sort the items to their liking to create a visual representation of an altar.
Do you want to reuse this creation? You’ll find it near the top of the Inspiration section in your Main Panel with the tag “Day of the Dead”.
- Water, which in many cultures symbolizes the cleansing of the soul.
- Sal, which helps preserve the body in its journey the following year.
- Candles, representing light, hope and faith.
- Incense, used to clean the site of evil spirits.
- Flowers, which symbolize purity and tenderness, adorn and lend their fragrance to the altar.
- Mexican or Aztec marigold (cempasúchil), used to adorn altars and tombs. The flowers are stripped of their petals which are used to mark a colorful and fragrant pathway for visiting ancestors.
- Bread of the dead, one of the most important elements of the altar.
- Petate, a woven reed mat laid out for the dead to rest upon.
- Portraits of those deceased who will come to visit.
- A dog or izcuintle, which is placed upon the altars made for children. It helps their souls cross over and arrive at the Mictlán (the underworld in Mexican mythology).
This interactive presentation is only one of the colorful resources we’ve made in honor of Day of the Dead. Find them in the Genially Editor!
- Backgrounds filled with colors that enthrall…
- Symbols. Candles, bread of the dead and other symbols to include in your interactive creations about and for the day.
- Scenes with themes related to Day of the Dead for your geniallys.
Sharing
Have you enjoyed the resources made for Day of the Dead in Genially? Unleash your creativity and try out the backgrounds, symbols and scenes. Share your creations with the world.
You can do so with the hashtag #DíaDeMuertosGenial.
