Celebrate Day of the Dead and Halloween with SevenPonds!

(Photo credit: Grmn, Creative Commons)

In the upcoming week, we’ll see the celebration of two beloved holidays with very disparate cultural histories: Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos. This year, to help you understand and celebrate the traditions and beliefs surrounding these annual holidays, we have compiled here some of our most popular posts on the ghastly autumn celebrations:

Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Unlocking the Meaning of Dia de Los Muertos – Most Americans have heard of the Mexican holiday. But, many of us are still unsure of just what it means, and cultural misconceptions skew our impression of the holiday. We dispel three commonly-held myths and explore the beliefs and history behind the holiday.

How to Make Your Own Sugar Skull – Celebrate Dia de Los Muertos with this delicious tradition! With about ten minutes of work, you can create this beautiful treat and have fun with the whole family.

Halloween

Halloween’s Deathly History – Halloween Rites Reflect a Wide Range of Cultures’ Collective Struggles with the Concept of Death.

What’s Halloween without a Ghost Story? – Our founder shares the true story of a cocktail party in an 1866 haunted house in New York state. Don’t miss this shocking tale!

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Annual Events

A Night for All Souls – The Vancouver event reminds us of the importance of remembrance and memorials. This year’s observance includes the all-women Threshold Choir, a presentation on creating personal shrines, a screening of the film Forever by Heddy Honigmann, and more.

Petaluma Arts Center Celebrates Dia de Los Muertos – Arts and Performance Honor and Celebrate Death and Culture. The arts center celebrates the holiday again this year with Wings of Life, its 12th annual observance of Day of the Dead.

San Francisco Celebrates Dia de Los Muertos – The city shares in the celebration of life and death. The procession for 2012 will take place on November 2. Learn about all of the local events at dayofthedeadsf.org.

For more unique ways to celebrate death and honor those you’ve lost, see more topics in Cultural Perspectives.