Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos is indeed a Mexican holiday. Whether it is the most important holiday is a point of debate.

Dia de los Muertos is largely a holiday celebrated in central Mexico and south. In northern Mexico, the holiday is largely ignored.

A possibly more important holiday is the celebration of the Virgen de Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. The date for this is December 12th.

For an impressive list of Mexican holidays, see

http://www.eden.com/~tomzap/holiday.html

The Day of the Dead has its roots in Catholicism and All Saints' Day, reinterpreted by the Hispanic community in Mexico and elsewhere. In Mexico it is celebrated on November 1st and in Costa Rica it is celebrated on November 2nd, which offers a hint of its numerous interpretations.

It is often used as a sort of memorial day, where family and friends as well as national heroes are remembered. In some places, altars are erected and the favorite foods of the deceased are served in banquet style with friends and neighbors in attendance. Photographs and remembrances are displayed on altars, following in the belief that the deceased visit on this special day. Trips to the church and to the graves of loved ones are made and there is more celebrating than grieving.

There are those who see these festivities as pagan in nature or just plain foolishness. Draped in the old Catholic traditions combined with Aztec and Mayan tradition, many see these activities as antiquated Third World posturing. Is it? To honor the dead and to believe that their spirits visit when we make them most welcome isn't all that out of touch with much that is "New Age" or the latest alternative philosophy. To celebrate the memory of those who have walked amongst us and left an indeliable impression is most assuredly not madness. Life and death go hand in hand. Perhaps on the other side of the fence there are those who spend a day celebrating Dia de la Vida.

Source: Mrs Dead Guy
For those interested, Dia del Hombre Muerto is November 3rd

We only come to sleep, only to dream. 
It is not true, 
it is not true that we come to live on this earth! 
We become as spring weeds, 
we grow green and open the petals of our hearts; 
our body is a plant in flower, 
it gives flowers and it dies away. 
Oh, we will go...rejoice! 
I, Netzahualcóyotl, say. 
Does one really live with roots in this earth? 
Not always on this earth, 
only a little while here! 
Even jade breaks; 
just as gold breaks, 
Even the quetzal plumes fall apart: 
Not always on this earth, 
only a little while here! 
Netzahualcóyotl 
(poet and king of Tezcoco 1402-1472) 

In Spain the feast is known as El Dia de los Difuntos or All souls day this is celebrated on the 31st of October the day before All Saints Day.

This is an extremely important feast in the Catholic calendar. It is a relatively sad day rather like Good Friday where most shops and restaurants tend to be closed. On this day people commemorate the death of their loved ones however unlike in Mexico it is not celebrated with special cakes or parties.

People tend to go to the cemetery to take flowers but not picnics as mentioned in above write ups. In Andalucia the norm is to have a meal of Broad Beans in a marinade.

This is made by:

olive oil

paprika

salt

This can be eaten either hot or cold and it`s best if left to marinade for a while before consuming.