"November Celebrations Begin..."

...The Day Of The Dead...

...(El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day)

is a holiday celebrated in Mexico

and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada.

The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends

to pray for and remember friends

and family members

who have died.

The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection

with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day

which occurs on November 1st

and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd.

Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased,

using sugar skulls, marigolds,

and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed,

and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday

to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years,

and to an Aztec festival

dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl.

Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world;

for example,

it's a public holiday (Dia de Finados) in Brazil,

where many Brazilians celebrate

by visiting cemeteries and churches.

In Spain, there are festivals and parades,

and at the end of the day,

people gather at cemeteries

and pray for their loved ones who have died.

Similar observances

occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines,

and similarly-themed celebrations appear

in many Asian and African cultures."

Source: Wikipedia

“Live life so completely

that when death comes to you like a thief in the night,

there will be nothing left for him to steal.”

~Author Unknown