1. The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) http://libraryquestions.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-did-day-of-dead- become-holiday.html

2. What is the day of the dead?? *The day of the dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage. *It takes place on November 1 st and 2 nd every year. *On these days, people remember their loved ones and friends who have died by praying for them, building altars to their memory, making their favorite foods, paying visits to their graves, and other activities. http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/mexico-flag.html

3. The history behind the holiday... *The day of the dead began as an Aztec ritual, celebrated 3,000 years ago in Mexico. *The Aztecs celebrated for an entire month and dedicated their celebrations to a goddess they called “the lady of the dead.” *The people of this time displayed real skulls as a reminder of death and rebirth. http://mexicolesstraveled.com/

4. *When Spaniards came to Mexico, they brought Christianity. *Because of this Christian influence, the Aztec ritual became a mix of Catholic and Christian traditions and Aztec folk culture. The history behind the holiday... http://www.missionstclare.com/english/people/nov2.html

5. Modern day celebrations *Celebrations of this holiday vary from region to region in Mexico, and from family to family. *Many people create altars that are decorated with brightly colored tissue paper flags, marigolds and candles. Pictures of the departed may also be placed there, along with their favorite foods and drinks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

6. Modern day celebrations *Some families visit the graves where their family or friends are buried. *The symbol for this holiday is the skull. Some people dress up in skull masks (calacas) or paint their faces to look like skulls. Skulls made of sugar or chocolate are made as part of the traditional celebration. http://wdict.net/word/calaca/

7. Photos of Day of the Dead celebrations http://www.destination360.com/north- america/mexico/mexico-city/day-of-the-dead http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media- live/photos/000/281/cache/flowers-in-graveyard-day-of-the- dead_28135_600x450.jpg Grave-site and altar decorations

8. http://www.intltravelnews.com/images/2010/05/big/oxaca0.jpg http://www.destination360.com/north-america/mexico/day-of- the-dead http://culinarytravel.about.com/od/foodwineevents/ss/Day-Of-The- Dead-Food-And-Recipes-Sugar-Skulls-Bread-And-More.htm Skulls are worn as makeup and masks, and are also made out of sugar.

9. U.S. Holidays *What are some holidays we celebrate in America? *How might some of our traditions appear strange or unusual to other cultures? *What is one holiday tradition you have in your family? *Compare the Day of the Dead with Memorial Day or Halloween. What is the same? What is different? http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/united-states-flag.html

10. Resources http://www.dayofthedead.com/ http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-history.html http://wdict.net/word/calaca/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead http://images.nationalgeographic.com http://www.destination360.com/north-america/mexico/day-of-the-dead http://mexicolesstraveled.com/ http://culinarytravel.about.com/od/foodwineevents/ss/Day-Of-The-Dead-Food-And- Recipes-Sugar-Skulls-Bread-And-More.htm http://www.mapsofworld.com http://www.intltravelnews.com/images/2010/05/big/oxaca0.jpg http://www.missionstclare.com/english/people/nov2.html http://libraryquestions.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-did-day-of-dead-become-holiday.html