The Day of the Dead is November 2nd and is celebrated in all countries with Mexican culture. It is a celebration of the lives of family members who have passed away. It is said that every day should be like this but it is highlighted on November 2nd which is dedicated to all souls. A common belief is that souls make a journey back to earth to give advice and counsel to their loved ones. The graves are very different from those in the United States, the cemeteries are more publicly owned or managed by churches. It is up to the families and friends of the dead to clean up their graves and maintain them as they choose. In the United States, there are more privately owned cemeteries and paid workers to clean and maintain the graves. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Most people take the Day of the Dead days to clean up the sites by pulling weeds or cleaning the gravestone or even just decorating it. Even though death is very dark and in the United States it is highlighted that black is associated with death, in Mexican culture there are extremely colorful altars. They decorate the altars with all kinds of colorful flowers and skulls or even chalk paintings full of their loved ones' favorites. Also, on the altar families will cook the person's favorite dishes and place them on the altar, and according to some beliefs, alcoholic drinks should also be placed on the altars. Salt is also a very important part of life in that culture, so you will find salt on altars most of the time too. Another common belief is that among spirits, spirits love the scents of marigolds and burning copal, which is seen as an invitation to the spirits to return home. It is a day to commemorate the deceased and tell stories and memories that celebrated with them. Family is extremely important and an important part of life in Mexican culture. It's very clear that Hispanic families are very close and celebrate each other. With such a large celebration dedicated to family members it also demonstrates the amount of love that they are like a pack of wolves, you joke with one and you joke with the entire pack. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay They stick to each other through thick and thin, but when they are gone they still commemorate each other and celebrate the time they spent together. A similar holiday in the United States or the closest resemblance is Memorial Day. The Day of the Dead is a larger scale than our Memorial Day here in the United States, but there is more too. The style of the celebration is also different. Day of the Dead is also so positive because instead of mourning the dead and gone, they celebrate the lives of their lost and are happy with the time they spent with their families. They also celebrate with parades and costumes with different paintings of skeletons on their faces and really enjoy the days dedicated to loved ones.