Current Event #1

Day of the Dead

From November 1-2 Peru pays dedication to the dead by holding the Day of the Dead ceremony. On this day the people of Peru go to the cemetery of a lost loved one or friend and give them a tribute of food flowers or drinks and place it on their grave. This ceremony is a custom that has been going on for ages and is considered very sacred. In the town of La Arena in the province of Piura the entire town and surrounding populous gathers in the town center. All the children of the area dress in their best Sunday clothes and this is where something neat happens. If someone who has lost a friend or family member thinks one of the children resembles their deceased they give them treats like sweets, candied coconuts and sweet potatoes, or they give them small bread rolls. There are also sweets wrapped in very nice bags and they are called, “angels”. For the rest of the night the relatives and friends hold a candlelight service for the lost until the next morning. In some areas instead of the sweets being wrapped in the bags it is the breadrolls which are made to look like baby children.