{"id":8052,"date":"2022-10-12T11:18:22","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T15:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aesu.com\/?p=8052"},"modified":"2022-10-12T11:18:22","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T15:18:22","slug":"el-dia-de-los-muertos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/","title":{"rendered":"El Dia de los Muertos"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"El<\/a>
In the Spanish-speaking world, the end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the English-speaking world, the end of the month of October is marked by the celebration of <\/span>Halloween<\/span><\/a>. This day began as a pagan Celtic festival when people would light up bonfires and wear costumes to ward away ghosts \u2013 over time this morphed into our recognizable traditions of trick or treating and wearing costumes. However, in the Spanish-speaking <\/span>world<\/span><\/a>, the end of October marks the celebration of <\/span>el Dia de los Muertos<\/span><\/i>, or the Day of the Dead. This is not simply a Mexican spin on Halloween, contrary to popular belief. It is a full-fledged two day long celebration of life and death with much different traditions that is recognized throughout the world. Let\u2019s take a deeper dive into the traditions associated with <\/span>el Dia de los Muertos<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Calaveras and Ofrendas<\/span><\/h2>\n

The most recognizable symbol of Day of the Dead celebrations is the <\/span>calaveras<\/span><\/i>. This is a skull that is decorated with a colorful flourish, typically made to look like it is smiling or laughing. The <\/span>calaveras<\/span><\/i> takes many forms during the celebrations \u2013 it is made into pieces of art like sculptures, baked into edible candies, and painted on the faces of those celebrating the holidays.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the most meaningful <\/span>symbol<\/span><\/a> of <\/span>el Dia de los Muertos<\/span><\/i> is the <\/span>ofrenda<\/span><\/i>, or offering. During each part of the celebration, offerings are made to the deceased members of one\u2019s family as a way of honoring them. A miniature altar is constructed for the loved one that is decorated with a bright colored oil cloth, photographs, and personal belongings. On the lower section of the altar, family and friends place their <\/span>ofrendas<\/span><\/i> for the loved one, typically consisting of traditional Mexican food, tequila, or other items that the family member liked while they were alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Three Celebrations of <\/span>El Dia de los Muertos<\/span><\/i><\/h2>\n

The revelry of the Day of the Dead is broken up into three parts over the course of the two days. On November 1<\/span>st<\/span> at midnight, families celebrate <\/span>Dia de los Angelitos<\/span><\/i>, or Day of the Little Angels. It is believed that, during the next 24 hours, the spirits of all deceased children are reunited with their families for a celebration. <\/span>Ofrendas<\/span><\/i> such as toys and snacks are given on the altars dedicated to these children. On November 2<\/span>nd<\/span> at midnight, families celebrate <\/span>Dia de los Difuntos<\/span><\/i>, or Day of the Deceased, where the focus shifts to the spirits of departed adults. Families play games with each other and reminisce about their loved ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Noon on the 2<\/span>nd<\/span> marks the grand finale of these celebrations, where everyone in their local communities come together for a public celebration of life and death. People dress up, paint their faces with the <\/span>calavera<\/span><\/i> image, and parade and dance in the streets. Families also typically visit grave sites to decorate with marigolds and gifts. It is also customary to clean the grave stone as a sign of respect and honor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Explore the World with AESU!<\/span><\/h2>\n

Are you ready to plan an adventure of a lifetime? AESU offers unique, thrilling travel programs for college students and young professionals at affordable rates. Each trip is action-packed and informal\u2014designed just for people your own age. We are also able to design custom tours just for your group.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Experience an exhilarating adventure in 2022 on the\u00a0<\/span>Cosmopolitan<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Great Escape<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Greek Island Hopper tour,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and more! 2022 tour dates are now available! If you have any questions or want help booking your next adventure, please contact AESU by calling 800-638-7640, or fill out the contact form found on our website. Follow AESU on\u00a0<\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span>Pinterest<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the English-speaking world, the end of the month of October is marked by the celebration of Halloween. This day began as a pagan Celtic festival when people would light up bonfires and wear costumes to ward away ghosts \u2013 over time this morphed into our recognizable traditions of trick or treating and wearing costumes. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"postBodyCss":"","postBodyMargin":[],"postBodyPadding":[],"postBodyBackground":{"backgroundType":"classic","gradient":""},"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[354,437,734],"class_list":["post-8052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-south-america-travel-tips","tag-day-of-the-dead","tag-el-dia-de-los-muertos","tag-spanish"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEl Dia de los Muertos - AESU Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"El Dia de los Muertos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AESU Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AESUTravel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-12T15:18:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gre-hero-large.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1505\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"awi-admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"El Dia de los Muertos\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@aesutravel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aesutravel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"awi-admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"awi-admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/person\/43db3bf810aa67fd1c3ba8c0f6498b28\"},\"headline\":\"El Dia de los Muertos\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-12T15:18:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/\"},\"wordCount\":637,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"Day of the Dead\",\"El D\u00eda de los Muertos\",\"Spanish\"],\"articleSection\":[\"South America\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/\",\"name\":\"El Dia de los Muertos - AESU Travel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-10-12T15:18:22+00:00\",\"description\":\"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"El Dia de los Muertos\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/\",\"name\":\"AESU Travel\",\"description\":\"Expanding Horizons Since 1977\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"AESU, Inc.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#organization\",\"name\":\"AESU Travel\",\"alternateName\":\"AESU, Inc.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AESU-circle-2025_dark-teal.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AESU-circle-2025_dark-teal.png\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":2000,\"caption\":\"AESU Travel\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AESUTravel\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/aesutravel\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/aesutravel\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/aesu\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/person\/43db3bf810aa67fd1c3ba8c0f6498b28\",\"name\":\"awi-admin\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/author\/awi-admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"El Dia de los Muertos - AESU Travel","description":"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"El Dia de los Muertos","og_description":"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!","og_url":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/","og_site_name":"AESU Travel","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AESUTravel","article_published_time":"2022-10-12T15:18:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1505,"url":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gre-hero-large.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"awi-admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"El Dia de los Muertos","twitter_description":"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!","twitter_creator":"@aesutravel","twitter_site":"@aesutravel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"awi-admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/"},"author":{"name":"awi-admin","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/person\/43db3bf810aa67fd1c3ba8c0f6498b28"},"headline":"El Dia de los Muertos","datePublished":"2022-10-12T15:18:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/"},"wordCount":637,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["Day of the Dead","El D\u00eda de los Muertos","Spanish"],"articleSection":["South America"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/","url":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/","name":"El Dia de los Muertos - AESU Travel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2022-10-12T15:18:22+00:00","description":"In the Spanish-speaking world, end of October marks the celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Read on to learn more!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/el-dia-de-los-muertos\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"El Dia de los Muertos"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/","name":"AESU Travel","description":"Expanding Horizons Since 1977","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#organization"},"alternateName":"AESU, Inc.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#organization","name":"AESU Travel","alternateName":"AESU, Inc.","url":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AESU-circle-2025_dark-teal.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AESU-circle-2025_dark-teal.png","width":2000,"height":2000,"caption":"AESU Travel"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AESUTravel","https:\/\/x.com\/aesutravel","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/aesutravel\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/aesu\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/#\/schema\/person\/43db3bf810aa67fd1c3ba8c0f6498b28","name":"awi-admin","sameAs":["https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu"],"url":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/author\/awi-admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobeckmedia.com\/aesu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}