Growing up in foster care, I was surrounded by many other cultures and races other than my own, each of which brought their own cultural traditions and rituals into my life . . A cultural rite that I have participated in for many years and that has the most impact on me personally is that of El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican cultural rite that celebrates life, death and hope while recognizing mortality, transience and death. As you learn more, a large majority of people tend to become more fascinated with the intrinsic rituals celebrated by Mexicans as part of Dia de los Muertos. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay If you were to travel through Mexico, you might marvel at the rich history, culture, and traditions of Mexican heritage. One of the main notable features is the abundant depictions of skeletons in folk art. Celebrated annually on November 2, Dia de los Muertos dates back to the Mayan and Aztec empires, demonstrating a cultural rite dating back at least 3,000 years. El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an entire day of remembrance dedicated to the dead, celebrated throughout Mexico and many parts of the Americas. Unlike the American approach to death, in these countries they do not fear death as a stranger, but rather view it as a welcome friend. Day of the Dead is never a sad or scary celebration, but rather a day to remember and cherish family members who have not only passed away, but also those who are still alive with us. This celebration is marked by a colorful and ecstatic party accompanied by dancing, music, lots of food and drink, and it is believed that you are also surrounded by the spirits of the dead. Ritually, it is a day when families visit the graves of their departed loved ones, usually bringing gifts and special foods for the souls who will return to visit that evening; these same gifts and tokens of love are also brought to those present to celebrate in the moment. On Dia de los Muertos, people are known to celebrate this cultural rite both at home and in cemeteries. Once at the cemetery/grave of their loved ones, families would clean the headstones, decorate them with flowers and provide accompaniment of music, food and drinks. The arrangement of these cemetery altars is specifically a family affair, also known as ofrendas, or offerings; Among these alterations are four different elements, but each of equal importance, each representing one of the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Each of these four elemental gifts has great significance when it comes to Dia de los Muertos; water is used to represent the quenching of a soul's thirst after its journey between life and death. The fire element is represented by the candles left on graves, while they use punched paper, or papel picado, to signify the wind element. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. .Get a personalized trialIn some regions of Mexico, many toys and figurines are made for this occasion; composed mainly of skeletal figures. One can speculate where and why these skeletons are so predominant in cultural rite, and with a little questioning and reading, one can better understand the origin and cultural rite of this,.