![]() ![]() ![]() Take a trip to your local library or bookstore and read up on the history as well as Día de los Muertos traditions. Read books together about the holidayīefore you get started with your festivities, it’s always good to educate yourself about the holiday. And though there are certain practices that shouldn’t be done by non-Mexican or non-Latinx individuals without being invited to do so by members of the community and having a good understanding of their significance, there are many ways in which anyone can celebrate and participate in Día de los Muertos activities with kids respectfully. Today, families gather to make foods and paper flowers and sugar skulls for their ofrendas (altars), don calavera makeup, visit and clean up the graves of their dead and generally celebrate the lives that were once lived. While Día de los Muertos is celebrated just after Halloween, it is not Mexican Halloween. And while it is celebrated just after Halloween, it is not Mexican Halloween. While their rituals were performed in August, Día de los Muertos as it is now is a combination of these original celebrations combined with All Souls Day (which was introduced to Mexico by European colonizers), which is also observed in November. It was believed that the recently deceased passed on to the Land of the Dead before going to a final resting place and that the living could make offerings to their dearly departed on certain days to help them on their way. Taking place annually on November 1st and 2nd, Día de los Muertos is a two-day holiday observed in areas of Mexico and beyond based on celebrations observed by the ancient Aztec and Nahua people thousands of years ago. But being a cultural holiday (and even somewhat religious for some), it’s important to know the facts before celebrating Día de los Muertos with kids (and even without).ĭía de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) is a special time - every November 1st and 2nd - during which the living honor those who have gone before them. These days, it’s become more popular around the world, thanks to movies (we’re looking at you, “Coco”!), social media and a general love of sugar skulls. We have been featured in our local newspaper the past 3 years.For many Mexicans and other Latinx, Día de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) is a special time during which the living honor those who have gone before them. Then we have a fiesta, our baking students bake/decorate skull shaped cookies and Día de los Muertos bread, our culinary students make us rice and pulled chicken and then we eat, dance, and share stories about our deceased loved ones. “We decorate the room with all different projects my students make, and we create a life size altar on the stage where the students and staff can display the pictures of their loved ones. School: Cypress Park High School DÍA DE MUERTOS CELEBRATIONSĬlaudia shared these pictures of the celebration she’s organized at her school. Several Spanish teachers shared the gorgeous work their students created, and I love seeing their creativity. Many teachers assign making ofrenda as a project. You know your own students and community best, but it’s sometimes helpful to see what others are doing! DÍA DE MUERTOS DECORATIONS AND DISPLAYSĪ post shared by Cathy Davila DÍA DE MUERTOS OFRENDA PROJECTS While Día de Muertos a good chance to explore religious traditions and compare/contrast with Halloween here in the U.S, it may be worth sending a note home preemptively to explain some of the traditions and how you plan to teach about them. In this post, you can see how other teachers created in-class displays, altars, or bulletin boards related to Día de los Muertos.Īs with any religious holidays, Day of the Dead has to be handled with care and it may be confusing for some families to walk into a classroom and see images of skulls, skeletons, or graveyards. Many teachers embrace the holiday as more deeply rooted in Latino traditions than Cinco de Mayo, for example. Inside: Bulletin boards, ofrendas, and Day of the Dead decorations in Spanish Classrooms.ĭecorations for Día de Muertos are a welcome alternative to the pervasive chile peppers and sombreros we often see in Spanish classroom decor. Though Day of the Dead isn’t celebrated in every part of the Spanish-speaking world, it is widely celebrated across Latin America and a good way to bring culture into the classroom. ![]()
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