Growing up as a foster child, 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 ritual that I have participated in for many years and that has had the greatest impact on me personally is that of El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos is a cultural ritual in Mexico that is a celebration of life, death and hope while recognizing mortality, transience and dying. As you learn more, the vast majority of people tend to be fascinated by the inherent 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay If you travel through Mexico, you may marvel at all the rich history, culture, and traditions of the Mexican heritage. One of the most noticeable aspects is that of the abundant folk art skeleton presentations. Celebrated annually on November 2, Dia de los Muertos can be traced back to the Mayan and Aztec empires, proving a cultural ritual at least 3,000 years old. El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is an entire day of remembrance and dedicated to the dead, celebrated throughout Mexico and many parts of the Americas. In contrast to the American approach to death, in these countries they do not fear it as a stranger, but rather see it as a welcome friend. The Day of the Dead is never a sad or scary celebration, but rather a day to remember and love family members who have not only passed away, but also those who are still alive with us. This celebration is characterized by a colorful and ecstatic feast, accompanied by dancing, music, plenty of food and drink, and one is also believed to be surrounded by the spirits of the dead. Ritually, this is a day when families visit the graves of their lost loved ones, usually bringing gifts and special foods for the souls said to return and visit that evening; these same gifts and tokens of love are also brought to the participants to celebrate at that moment. On Dia de los Muertos, people are known to celebrate this cultural ritual both in their homes and in cemeteries. Once at the cemetery/grave of their loved ones, families cleaned the headstones, decorated them with flowers and brought an accompaniment of music, food and drink. The making of these cemetery altars is specifically a family affair, also known as ofrendas, or offerings; Between these altars are left four different, but each equally important elements, each representing one of the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Each of these four elemental gifts has high significance regarding the Dia de los Muertos; water is used to represent the quenching of a soul's thirst from their journey between life and death. The fire element is represented by the candles left on the graves, while perforated paper, or papel picado, is used to indicate the wind element. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayIn some regions of Mexico, many different toys and figurines are made on this occasion; consisting mainly of skeletal figures. One can speculate where and why these skeletons are so prevalent in cultural ritual, and with a little questioning and reading one can gain a better understanding of the origin and cultural ritual of this iconic skeletal figure and its reformation since the pre-Columbian era to the present. Mexico day. It has been said that Jose Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican printer, made various prints,.