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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CELEBRATING DIA DE LOS MUERTOS IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, D?a de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a culturally significant holiday for Mexican Americans, and Chicanos who have built vibrant communities throughout Cook County; and
WHEREAS, D?a de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1st and 2nd; and
WHEREAS, the origin of D?a de los Muertos comes from the Aztec belief that, once a year, the souls of the deceased would visit the world of the living for one night, traveling all the way from Mictl?n, the underworld; and
WHEREAS, upon dying, a person was believed to travel to Chicunamictl?n, the Land of the Dead. Only after getting through nine challenging levels, a journey of several years, could the person's soul finally reach Mictl?n, the final resting place; and
WHEREAS, on the D?a de Muertos, it's believed that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves; and
WHEREAS, during this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance and play music with their loved ones; and
WHEREAS, D?a de los Muertos is NOT, as is commonly thought, a Mexican version of Halloween, though the two holidays do share some traditions, including costumes and parades; and
WHEREAS, the living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations, and leave the deceased's favorite foods and other offerings at gravesites or on the ofrendas built in their homes; and
WHEREAS, ofrendas can be decorated with candles, bright marigolds called cempasuchil alongside food like stacks of tortillas and fruit; and
WHEREAS, in Mexican and Chicano culture, the most prominent symbols related to the D?a de los Muertos are calacas (skeletons) and calaveras (sugar skulls); and
WHEREAS, in the early 20th century, the printer and cartoonist Jos? Guadalupe Posada incorporated skeletal figures in his art mocking politicians and commenting on revolutionary polit...
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