Day Of The Dead Vs. Halloween

Dia de los Muertos is seen by many as a Halloween thing but, it isn't. It's wayyyyy different.

Both occur at about the same time, roughly aligning with with 2 Catholic feast days and both feature some pretty wild costumes. Dia de los Muertos is a, (primarily), Mexican tradition that begins with building altars and creating offerings to lost loved ones. They, according to this article;

can be anything from food to drinks, clothing, music, photos, colors, and religious images or representations. Altars are decorated and placed in either the person's home or a tomb in the cemetery. Papel picado (literally punched or perforated paper) is seen on the altars usually with cutouts of skulls and skeletons.

Once you've prepared the altar, you can welcome the souls of those who passed. Children are celebrated on Nov. 1. The next day is dedicated to the adults, and the festivities are similar on both dates. Imagine a cemetery filled with people, music, colorful decorations, food, and lit candles.

Halloween is observed differently throughout the states depending on where you are or upon who you ask. It typically accents ghosts and demons and depicts the dead as evil or, at the least, something to be avoided.The Day Of The Dead" celebrates death while remembering and honoring the departed.

On the Day Of The Dead, cemeteries aren't dark and ghostly places. They're pretty much great big party halls!