DAY OF THE DEAD

Latin American cultures are traditionally rich in cultural matters. The influence they have received throughout the history of the peoples has been immeasurable. With the arrival of the Spaniards to American territory and the beginning of the evangelization added to some African practices brought by the slaves, they constituted a breeding ground that until today is absorbed and transformed by the African-American and indigenous peoples. One of them is related to the conception of death, in pre-Hispanic cultures it is conceived as an event that implies a change that should not be understood as the end of a cycle, but as the continuation of it and that has a harmonic relationship with life, since it is the origin and the consequence of it. In Bolivia, a very common activity during these dates is the traditional visit to the cemetery, where people gather to receive the souls of their dead among offerings, prayers and music. November 1st is commemorated as the day of the dead, the ceremony begins at 12:00 noon on November 1st until noon on November 2nd (a holiday), since it is believed that "on November 1st at noon the ajayus return from their mountains to live for 24 hours with their families and friends". Through altars in the tombs decorated with flowers, candles, canes, fruits, drinks and sweets, among other elements, they remember the memory of the deceased.