Day of the Dead

Edit: Day of the Dead has come and passed, this article was written prior to the holiday.

This year, tucked into the latest issue of the Gadgetzan Times, is a small excerpt concerning an upcoming but little known holiday: the Day of the Dead. While little is currently known, perhaps we can glean a bit more from these descriptions:


So what do we truly know about the Day of the Dead?

Day of the Dead

According to wikipedia, the Day of the Dead (or El Día de los Muertos), is a traditional holiday celebrated by Latin Americans, primarily in Mexico. "The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints'Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd.

So what's in it for us?

Well, the text above reads: "During the Day of the Dead, people gather in graveyards to celebrate with and cherish the spirits of those they have lost. One can find the festivities in the cemeteries of any major city, where celebrants cook, dance and don costumes, and more." We also know there is a related acheivement, Dead Man's Party, which requires the player to honor the dead by dancing with a mysterious woman named Cristina. Purportedly, this in turn transforms the player into a skeleton. The properties of the buff read "Apply Aura: Transform," which I assume will be the buff du jour that provides the skeleton transformation.

(Edit: Actually, it transformed you into either a male or female version of the Day of the Dead celebrants.)

We also know there is a related quest, "The Grateful Dead". This, of course, comes with standard buff food in the form of Bread of the Dead. You should be able to redeem this quest in the following locations: Dalaran, Ironforge (both dwarf and gnome spirits), Exodar, Darnassus, Silvermoon City, Orgrimmar (both Troll and Orc spirits), Thunder Bluff, as well as a seperate Aldor and Scryer turn-in. All of the spirits should be located within their respective graveyards, (although it is not clear why Stormwind was left out.)

And what do we get for all of this?

This currently unknown item.

I've heard rumors that it is actually this as-of-yet unreleased mini-pet, but who knows?

(Edit: Confirmed. The mini-pet was added!)

But what about all this talk about dancing, donning costumes and... more? It could very well be just a reference to the items mentioned above, but I am curious about this deliberate vagueness on behalf of Blizzard. What is this... 'more'? Is this the new 'Soon'^TM? =D

Stay tuned for a guide to the upcoming Pilgrim's Bounty holiday!