El Día de los Muertos

Last week and this week students in the Spanish program have been learning about the Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead.  This holiday, which actually spans 3 days, is an opportunity for the Mexican family to honor loved ones who have died.  Death is seen as a part of life, and the holiday is a time to enjoy the company of family with laughter, music, and traditional foods like pan de muerto (the bread of the dead).

Art and crafts that accompany this holiday often depict death in a comical way.  Candy sugar skulls (calaveras), decorated with brightly colored frosting, are given as presents.  Skeletons dressed up in "everyday" clothes make us laugh.  To make my point I thought I'd include here a great calaca (skeleton) of a maestra like me:

 

Don't I look great?

Students really enjoy the crafts that go along with this holiday.  This week 4th and 5th graders will decorate sugar skulls imported from Mexico.  Third graders will make decorative skull masks.  Stay tuned for photos...