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Day of the Dead mixes Aztec, Indian, Christian rituals, holds meaning for today's Mexicans [audio 29min]

Accompany a Mexican family to the town cemetery on November 1st to celebrate the sacred holiday of the Day of the Dead. Join them as they spend the day and night at their loved one's graves -- honoring them by bring their favorite foods, perhaps a drink of tequila, tooting their favorite songs. The holiday combines ancient Aztec and Indian rituals with Christian beliefs, but it also holds important philosophical, sociological, and political meaning for today's Mexicans. What does the holiday reveal about the national character, and how has this quintessentially Mexican approach to life and death been manipulated by cynical rulers over the centuries to excuse poor health care, horrendous labor conditions, and even violent political repression.
Read entire article at Soundprint "The Day of the Dead"