1. Honoring the Ancestors: An Hispanic Tradition
Los Días de los Muertos
Honoring the Ancestors:
An Hispanic Tradition

2. Los Días de los Muertos Celebration honoring deceased ancestors
Celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd
Mixture of Hispanic Christian and
ancient Native American traditions
Similar to, yet very different from, Halloween

3. History of Día de los Muertos
European Catholic traditions honored
All Saints’ Day – November 1st and
All Souls’ Day - November 2nd
In Ancient native American traditions the end of harvest & autumn signaled
a time for reflection & winter dormancy

4. Halloween vs Día de los Muertos
Spooky & Scary
Ghosts & Goblins
Costumes & Masks
Trick or Treat Candy
Reverent & Respectful
Altars & Flowers
Photographs
Favorite Foods / Drinks

5. The Latins honor the ancestors….
……by celebrating their lives
Who were they in their life?
What did they like to do, to eat,
to drink? Sing? Dance?
What did they love?
What made them laugh?
How would they like to be remembered?

6. How is it celebrated?
Home is cleaned & prepared for these very special guests
Ofrenda is constructed
Cemetery tombstone is cleaned & decorated
Food , flowers and drink are purchased and displayed along with photos and favorite items

7. (whimsical skeletons)
Vocabulario
COMIDA FAVORITA
(favorite food)
VELAS
(candles)
COPAL
(Incense)
BEBIDAS
(drinks)
CALACAS
(skeletons)
OFRENDAS
(offerings)
FOTOS
(photographs)
PAPEL PICADO
(tissue paper)
FLORES
(flowers)
PAN de los
MUERTOS
(bread of the dead)
El CEMENTARIO
(the cemetery)
DULCES
(sweets)
CALAVERAS
(whimsical skeletons)
MOLE
(chocolaty sauce)
MÁSCARAS
(masks)
AGUA
(water)
MUÑECAS
(dolls)
COSAS FAVORITAS
(favorite things)
ADORNOS
(decorations)
MUSICA
(music)

8. La Ofrenda Fresh fruit Favorite foods Incense Flowers Illumination
                                                                                      
Fresh fruit
Favorite foods
Incense
Flowers
Illumination
Familiar tokens
Photographs...
all add to the
sensation

9. La Ofrenda Las velas Los dulces Las bebidas La comida Las frutas
El agua
Las flores
El sal
El pan de los muertos
La calavera
El altar

10. Las Calaveras de Azucar

11. El Panteon
                                                                                      

12. En el Mercado Las calaveras El pan de muertos La flores Las frutas
Las velas
El copal

13. En el Cementario La familia y Los parientes Las velas Las flores
La música
Toda la noche

14. En el Cementario All the family members join in preparing for the
vigil in
the
cemetery

15. La Calavera
                                                                                                                   

16. Las Calacas Whimsical figurines
                                                                        
Whimsical figurines
Depicting people as they once were in life
Joking, laughing, being “human”
Happy, everyday scenes

17. Una Ofrenda
                                                                                                                   

18. What have you learned?
How is Day of the Dead different from Halloween?
How do you honor
your ancestors?
How would you remember
a family member or friend
who has died?