Aristotle, a famous Greek philosopher once wrote “Man is a social animal. He who lives without society is either a beast or God”.
what do we mean by this statement? It means social interaction is one But of the major factors shaping a man’s life as it plays a great role by constructing good social support by getting to know other cultures and shape our minds.
But what is a festival? A festival is a time of the year when people come together with their families to celebrate a special event.
Jean Cocteau, a French poet and writer said the following words- “The day of my birth, my death begin it walk. It is walking toward me, without hurrying.”
The words spoken by this famous poet refers to the Dia de Muertos (day of the dead) festival which is a holiday widely celebrated in Mexico, specifically the central and south regions.
This festival signifies the meeting of family and friends to honour and commemorate the deceased family members and relatives and help encourage their divine path to the underworld.
The day of the dead is an overpass between the world of the living and the world of the dead. It is believed that the dead enters the living world and stays with their family from October 31 to November 2.
“Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them”- George Eliot, an English writer said these following words. This quote can be used efficiently to describe the significance of this festival.
On this day, people remember the fact that the dead once existed and will always be alive in the hearts of the kinsperson. Ironically, this day is also for the living and not only the dead.
The most appealing part about Dia de Muertos is that the Mexican’s celebrate their lives through food, drinks and of course music in lieu of grieving the deceased.
The family’s visit the cemetery or make graves for the dead and eat the favourite food and sing songs that spirits, or souls used to like. They place marigolds on the grave as the flower is also known as the Flor de Muerto (flower of the dead).
The impact of Dia de Muertos on people is marvellous. It makes people remember that no matter what, even in the most painful of times nobody will be able to take away the joyful moments spent with the departed member.
By celebrating this day, we acknowledge the fact that the person is gone physically but not mentally. Since there is a lot of exhibition, it helps in coping up with the reality instead of crying and sulking around.
It also helps people to come to the conclusion that grief is a journey that will never end, and it is wiser to embrace it and let it shine inside us as the memory of the departed.
And this was just one example out of hundreds of why festivals are so important and of such relevance in this world.
Author Bio : Mahi Sinha, DPS, Sharjah UAE.A participant of International Essay Competition ,October.
