The day of the dead or "dia de los muertos", as it is referred to in Mexico is an ancient ritual with a history dating back over 500 years. It is a national holiday which has combined the Mexican ancient ritual with the Spanish-Catholic "All Souls Day", which the Spanish conquistadores celebrated during the religious conversion of the local Mexican native Indians. Today, day of the dead is celebrated throughout Latin America, as an official Catholic holiday.

The veneration of the dead dates back to approximately 3500 B.C. The Aztec Indians believed that when the physical body passed, the spirit went to live on in a place referred to as Mictlan, which is where the Goddess Mictecacihuatl resided and where the souls rested for the entire year until they are able to "return to visit their loved ones" on the day of the dead.

This celebration initially took place during the months of July and August but, the Spanish conquistadores changed the date to November 2nd, coincide with their "Day of all Saints" Catholic rite. In modern times, the celebration takes place during the last days of October culminating in the official day of the dead on November 2nd.

Prior to the official celebration dates, Mexicans start preparing themselves by erecting small temples in their homes with pictures of their dead relatives. They adorn this temple with marigolds, considered the Flower of the Dead, the deceased's favorite foods and drinks (to include alcoholic beverages), cigars - if the deceased smoked such while living. The temple is also adorned with sugar skulls which are purchased in supermarkets and street vendors, alike.

On the actual dia de los muertos, the relatives take all of these items to the cemetery to leave for the deceased "to enjoy". The relatives also pray and even tell funny stories about the deceased. This is all in the effort to bring the soul closer to them. When the soul belongs to a child toys and the child's favorite treats are also brought to the grave.

Due to the fact that this is a Latin American holiday the day of the dead is celebrated from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America. Different countries celebrate their day of the dead in different manners, as they also vary from town to town in Mexico.

In Guatemala they celebrate the day of the dead by flying giant kites. The Haitians play loud music all night long. The Bolivians celebrate their day of the dead on November 9th, and refer to it as "Day of the Natitas" (Day of the Skulls) which are garnished with a crown of fresh flowers. The Bolivians pray protection, provided by their dead, during the coming year. Panama celebrates the day of the dead with the equivalent of a National Day of Mourning, where no alcohol is served or sold to the public, until after midnight of November 2nd.

Because the Spaniards also conquered lands aside from the Americas countries such as the Philippines also celebrate the day of the dead. Here, as in Mexico and other Latin American countries, the living relatives clean and paint the graves of their dead. They also adorn them with fresh flowers. Day long visits and even overnight prayer vigils are held at the tombs.

In European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Ireland, with a Roman Catholic influence the day of the dead is celebrated by visiting relative's graves, praying and placing fresh flowers on the graves. In other European countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Finland the day of the dead is celebrated by lighting candles at the graves and offering prayers for the souls of their dead relatives.

In the United States, mainly those states which border Mexico, the Hispanic communities also celebrate the day of the dead. Though not located in the United States, on November 2001, an "altar" was erected in the Mexican town of Puebla's "Cultural House", in remembrance of the Mexican workers who perished in the World Trade Center bombings on the previous September in New York City.

The dia de los muertos is such a popular Mexican celebration that its influence has even permeated the area of interior decor. Pieces include figurines in the shape of dressed skeletons in various activities made from paper mache and day of the dead ceramic tiles and murals.

Variety items such as t-shirts, night lights, tote bags and even day of the dead arts and crafts kits to make sugar skulls are also available.

You may find pieces by renown craftsmen such as Jose Mendez, Sergio Martinez, Juan Soteno and Diego Huerta being sold on the internet by Mexican furniture import companies such as La Fuente Imports (www.lafuente.com) in the United States.