Day of the Dead By: Evan, Jesselyn, & McKenna

Who Day of the Dead, Dia de Los Muertos, is a holiday celebrated by Mexican citizens and many Mexican-Americans. Families remember the lives of their deceased loved ones, and believe that they come back in spiritual form to visit the living.

What Families build alters in their homes in remembrance of loved ones who have passed away. On these alters, they place flowers, the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased person, and gifts for them. Graves are also decorated with flowers and sugar skulls. Papel picado is everywhere. People also attend mass and prayer services.

Where Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead in their homes and in the graveyards where their family members are buried. They also go to churches for special prayer services and mass.

When The official Day of the Dead is on November 2 nd of each year. The entire celebration takes place from October 31 st to November 2 nd. These are the same dates as the Catholic holidays All Saints and All Souls Day.

Why  Alters are built in homes to honor dead family members and attract spirits.  Mexican marigolds are used in decorating graves and alters because it is believed that their fragrance attracts spirits. Petals are strewn on the ground to lead the spirits from the grave to home and back again.

How to Make Sugar Skulls  Supplies: 1 set of plastic skull molds Mixing bowl and spoon 2 cups of granulated sugar 2 teaspoons of meringue powder 2 teaspoons of water 1 piece of cardboard, approximately 5" x 5"  Mix the dry ingredients together in the bowl. Sprinkle the water in and continue to mix until the sugar is completely moistened and becomes the consistency of moist sand. Scoop some of the mixture into the mold and pack it evenly and firmly. Place the piece of cardboard on top of the mold and quickly flip it over so the sugar skull pops out. Very carefully slide it onto a flat surface.  Continue making the rest of the skulls. Let them dry for 24 hours in a dry place.  Icing: 2/3 cup of water 1/2 cup meringue powder 2 pounds of powdered sugar Electric mixer Concentrated food coloring (the kind professional cake bakers use) 1 pastry or Ziploc bag Plastic cups Spoon  Blend the ingredients with an electric mixer until the peaks form in the icing. If using assorted colors, scoop the white icing into separate bowls and add a dab of different colored food coloring in each one. Mix again. Scoop the icing into the pastry or Ziploc bag (snip the corner for the latter). Continue until you have several bags of different colors. Keep sealed and refrigerated until use.

Day of the Dead vs Halloween Day of the Dead Halloween  Decorates with happy skeletons  Uses imagery of witches, skeletons, and ghosts to provoke fear  A time of rejoicing and celebrating the lives of the deceased  Does not honor any spirits or family members  A happy time with no sadness  One of the goals is to scare people with costumes and decorations

Video Clip   events_calendar/november/day_of_the_d ead/videos_about_day_of_the_dead.asp x events_calendar/november/day_of_the_d ead/videos_about_day_of_the_dead.asp x

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