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The graves
Before the souls arrive, the families clean the graves
Across the three days of the holiday, families clean and decorate the graves of their relatives. They bring orange marigolds, called cempasúchil, a name that means twenty flowers. The bright petals and strong scent are thought to guide the souls from the cemetery to their family homes.
The offering
Each altar holds what the departed liked best
Families build altars, called ofrendas, with the favourite foods and drinks of the departed, along with photos and keepsakes. The aim is to encourage visits from the souls, so that they hear the prayers of the living. Pillows and blankets are left out so the souls can rest after their long journey.
Old or new
Scholars still argue about where the holiday comes from
Some argue for Indigenous or Aztec roots. Others see a local form of the Allhallowtide season that the Spanish brought. Mexican academics are divided. In 2008 UNESCO added the tradition to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The night watch
Sitting up all night with the departed may be a recent custom
The historian Elsa Malvido points to the recent origin of velar, staying up all night with the departed. She says it came from the Reform Laws under Benito Juárez, which forced family pantheons out of churches and into civil cemeteries. Rich families then had servants guard the possessions displayed at altars.
The little angels
Toys are left on the graves of children, the little angels
Toys are brought for dead children, los angelitos, the little angels. Bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque, or jars of atole, are brought for adults. Families also leave trinkets or the favourite candies of the deceased on the grave.
Day 4, afternoon
It comes after Teotitlan del Valle. Then The Zocalo.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Day of the Dead, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.