Whether made of wood, clay, or even candy, Day of the Dead skeleton figures, called calacas, share one common trait: They’re having fun. The reason for the whimsical portrayal of death is a holdover from the Aztec influence on Mexican culture. According to traditional beliefs, the dead don’t want to be remembered with sadness, but rather with the joy they brought to the world when they were alive. Today is the height of the three-day celebration, which begins with All Saints Eve on October 31, continues with All Saints Day (today), and ends with All Souls Day on November 2.
Celebrating the Day of the Dead
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Canada Day
-
International Day of the World s Indigenous Peoples
-
Serra de Tramuntana, Majorca, Spain
-
Womens History Month
-
Tortula moss, Netherlands
-
A theatrical dream
-
Gardens by the Bay nature park, Singapore
-
World Giraffe Day
-
May we have this dance?
-
Vieste, Apulia, Italy
-
Dancing waters of Dubai
-
Everyone s watching the Perseids
-
Northern cardinal in winterberry bush
-
The Bahamas as seen from the ISS
-
Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
-
Halemaumau Crater, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
-
Yosemite National Park turns 132
-
Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
-
Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
-
Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława, Poland
-
A field of English lavender
-
World Book Day
-
‘Ciao’ from Varenna
-
Spring comes to Glacier National Park
-
Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
-
Class, please take out a No. 2 pencil…
-
Ides of March
-
The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
-
Is this Minecraft headquarters?
-
Beach huts, Southwold, Suffolk Heritage Coast, England
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

