Día de los Muertos Vocabulario

Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead

Día Todos los Santos - All Saints' Day

• alfenique - a special confection used to fashion skulls, fruits and other figures



• altar de muertos - the offering that family and friends prepare for their dead loved ones
  
  
• angelitos - the souls of the children who have died; literally "little angels"
  
  
• arco - decorated arch sometimes placed on the graves or on the altar de muertos



• atole - an ancient drink made from corn meal and water and flavored with various fruits



• calacas - whimsical skeleton figures that represent death



• calavera - a skull; also a slang term for "daredevil"



• calaveras - songs and poems about the festival



• calaveritas de azúcar - sugar skulls made for the Día de los Muertos



• careta - mask worn by dancers to scare the dead away at the end of the celebrations





• cempazuchitl - a yellow marigold, the symbol of death






• copalli - a scented resin used to make incense



• golletes - a doughnut shaped bread, glazed with pink-colored sugar and placed on the altar



• Iluminación - the ceremony that takes place in the cemetary, where hundreds of candles are lit to guide the souls to their altars



• mole - a thick sauce made from a variety of ingredients, including chilis, sesame seeds, herbs, spices, chocolate and fruit
  
  
• ofrenda - an offering; refers to the goods set out on the altars



• pan de los muertos - bread of the dead



• papel picado - colorful tissue paper with intricate, festive designs cut out