亡灵节(英文版).ppt

1、Day of the Dead,Every year, on November 1st (All Saints Day) and 2nd (All Souls Day), something unique takes place in many areas of Mexico: Day of the Dead festivities.,History,Rituals（仪式） celebrating the deaths of ancestors （祖先）have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,5003

2、,000 years.,In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls（脑壳） as trophies （奖品）and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.,The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.,Traditions connected wi

3、th the holiday include building private altars（祭坛） honoring the deceased using sugar skulls（ The sugar represents the sweetness of life, and the skull represents the sadness of death.） , marigolds （万寿菊）, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.,Wh

4、ile its strange for most of us to accept the fact that death and festivities can go hand-in-hand, for most Mexicans, the two are intricately entwined.,This all stems from the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico who believed that the souls of the dead return each year to visit with their living rela

5、tives - to eat, drink and be merry. Just like they did when they were living.,This may all seem morbid and somewhat ghoulish to those who are not part of that culture. But, for Mexicans who believe in the life/death/rebirth continuum, its all very natural. this is not to say that they treat death lightly.,They dont. Its just that they recognize it, mock it, even defy it. Death is part of life and, as such, its representative of the Mexican s