Los Días de los Muertos

In agricultural societies, as in many traditions around the world, if you have life, you have death. It's considered a passage from one type of living to another. This acceptance of life and death has always been a part of Mexican culture. Death is not viewed as a scary thing, it is simply accepted as a natural part of life. In fact, in Mexico there are 2 entire days devoted to celebrating the deceased. The Day of the Dead is a family event to remember ancestors, whose spirits are believed to visit the earth once a year.

Those who celebrate the Days of the Dead will gather with their family members on these day and tell stories to their children about their departed relatives. In this way, children can learn about their heritage and feel connected with their ancestors, maybe a deceased grandma or grandpa, even if they didn´t get a chance to know them when they were alive. And families have the chance to honor their departed loved ones.

How do you view death? The truth is, many Americans don´t like even talking about getting old, let alone death. It is not something we like to think about. After what you have just learned about the typical Mexican view of death, which view do you think is better, the American view or the Mexican view. If you could make a holiday similar to Los Dias de Los Muertos in the United States, would you? Why?

Often on el Día de Los Muertos, families will set up altars, or ofrendas, to honor their departed loved ones. The ofrendas are prepared with much love and care. They will include the departed´s favorite foods and drinks, and often many of the departed´s favorite items from life. Candles, flowers, and Papel Picado are also used to decorate the altar. One important feature that is almost always included is the Bread of the Dead. This is a sweet bread, made of flour and eggs, and often shaped in the form of a circle with a skull and crossbones, although it can have other forms as well. One reason for the start of this tradition may have to do with an old Spanish saying “El muerto al hoyo y al vivo al bolla.” Or literally the dead to the grave and bread to the living. So including bread on the altar for the dead is denying the power of death, at least for the day.

Another common theme of Los Dias de Los Muertos are skeletons. These skeletons, often called “calacas,” are not meant to be scary. In fact they are intended to be funny. One of the most common skeleton images is that of “La Katrina,” a skeleton woman dressed in fancy clothing and often a large hat.

So what are we going to do now… We´re going to make bread of the dead! And… We are going to make skeleton masks. We are going to bake our bread and make skeleton masks while they bake. Here are a few pictures to inspire you.

http://picasaweb. google http://picasaweb.google.com/100420908051926785033/CorazonDeVidaOrphanageCraftActivities http://scrumdillydo.blogspot.com/2010/10/make-paper-plate-calaveras-masks.html

References http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-food.html