With this in mind, it doesn’t seem strange at all that the dead would come back and visit. And what a beautiful idea at that. While the Northern pagan of Europe took this same concept and turned it into something fearful, the Danse Macabre, the Mexican culture developed this concept as a good celebratory event. The ubiquitous Day of the Dead skeletons are not images of a frightening monster but one of whimsy.

During the festival, the celebrants perform many unique rituals. Altars are built in the homes to welcome the expected spirits. A typical altar starts with a table. Boxes representing tombs are placed on the table. A white sheet covers it and sugar canes are tied to the legs of the table and bent into an arc above the altar. Pictures of saints and of the deceased are then placed on the altar. A representative altar would also have flowers and candles along with the favored items of the deceased.

For example, if the deceased were a smoker, fine tobacco would be placed on the altar, to help entice the spirit into the home. Little skeletons made from paper mache are also set upon the altar doing the activities the deceased enjoyed in life. If the altar is for a child "angelito" then assorted toys would be put on the altar along with many many white flowers.

The celebration is taken to the cemetaries where vigils are kept over the graves. This is a special time for families, drawing together to have a ‘visit’ with their departed loved ones. One cannot help but contrast the view of a cemetary as a place of celebration and community with the European view of a cemetary as a place of disease and horror. Of course having centuries of plague ravage cities and towns would make the common folk a bit skittish about the necropolises of Europe.

During this time, the family of the deceased clean the gravesites, removing weeds and other unwanted items. In the United States, the holiday Memorial Day was set aside for this purpose but for some reason, it turned into a day to barbeque and the graves have long been forgotten.

Day of the Dead activities permeate Mexican cultures from the middle of October to November. Special dark breads are baked called animas, representing the souls of the departed. Candy skulls and coffins made from sugar, chocolate and amaranth seeds are also crafted. One of the most notable pastries made during this time is the pan de muerto which comes in a wide variety of sizes and had bits of white dough on top shaped like bones. All of these items are purchased to be ofrenda de muertos, offerings to the dead.

What truly had developed in Mexico is an amazing synthesis of pre-Hispanic ritual belief and Roman Catholicism. There is little reconciliation needed to be done between the two, actually, because the Mexican belief system delineates between the Old Religion and Christianity. The two exist side by side, with Christian rituals supplanting the old ways. The Day of the Dead happens to be one of those times when both belief system come to the forefront, making it a most exotic and exciting festival.

Being immersed in a town where everyone is actively welcoming the souls of the deceased into their homes by building altars, creating paths of marigold petals from the cemetary to the altar, and providing food and drink for the soul when it comes to visit, is one of the most enlightening experiences one can have. For those accustomed to seeing death as an evil to be avoided, the Day of the Dead brings to light a different paradigm.

Death has always been looked upon differently in the pre-Columbian cultures. A child who died in birth was considered to have been given a great blessing. Although this appears to be apocryphal in many ways, no human can possibly believe another human rejoices in the death of a child, all cultures seem to take the view that the death of a child occurs for benign reasons. This can be summed up in the phrase, "only the good die young." What this does represent clearly is the belief that death is just another part of existence.

Much like the ancient Egyptians who believed a whole other level of existence awaited them after this corporeal one, the pre-Columbian civilizations strongly believed that nothing ever ‘ended’. Nothing in nature has a terminus. Things may change, but they never end. Rivers flow into lakes. Wood burns becoming flames, smoke and ash. With this view of the natural world, clearly there would be no reason to think existence would end. It too would just be transformed into something else.

The Day of the Dead as celebrated in Mexico draws upon the ancient beliefs and combines it elegantly with the dominant modern Christian beliefs into a wholly unique experience. This is not a wary respect for Death, but a healthy acceptance of the natural order and a healthy way to deal with the loss of those whom you loved and the realization that they haven’t really left. Once a year they will come back and have a meal with you, smoke their cigarettes, and admire all that was done for them. Perhaps they might even bless you with a little good luck.