Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a long standing holiday in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Celebrated from Nov. 1st to 2nd loved ones gather to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have passed away. Elaborately decorated alters, with gifts for the dead and whimsically decorated skeletons are images most closely associated with Dia de Los Muertos. Mexico and Latin America have long celebrated the day of the dead and recently to holiday has come over to the United States and is celebrated as part of Halloween.
Beginning in 2007 Disneyland park in Anaheim, California has invited guests to join in celebrating Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos. For the past six years Disneyland has paid homage to the famed Mexican holiday transforming Frontierland into a mixture of Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos celebrations. Guests walking around Frontierland will see alters decorated with brightly colored marigolds and skulls made out of sugar. Guests will also be able to have their faces painted in traditional Dia de Los Muertos style and enjoy music played during the holiday.
Rancho del Zocalo is a restaurant located in Frontierland, where Disney clears out a space to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos. Disneyland will celebrate both Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos now through Nov 3rd. One blogger writing about Disney's celebration says she wished Dia de Los Muertos had a larger area to celebrate the vast culture it is associated with. Halloween is the larger money maker this time of year for Disney, so it makes sense Dia de Los Muertos would not feature as prominently as Halloween.
Disney and Dia de Los Muertos have had a rocky year in 2013. The Disney Corporation was trying to trademark the holiday for an upcoming animated feature. This did not sit well with many Latin Americans who felt Disney was trying to profit and take ownership of their holiday. A number of petitions circulated trying to get Disney's trademark application stopped. Disney realized the number of people who were upset over their request was vast and decided not to seek the trademark.
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