Dia de los muertos

Does anyone have dia de los muertos celebrations going on in their community next week? We’ll talk about this before on here, but it’s a latin celebration that honors family members and friends who have died. There is a lot of food and gifts made for the deceased and it seems like a great way to honor your loved ones.

Hi Holly, this is a timely post; I wish I knew some folks who were celebrating this holiday. Will you be doing anything? Can anyone do this? For example, if I wanted to honor some of my loved ones who have passed, could I do something? I’m probably not going to because it’s not something I’m used to or anything, but it would be nice to know what goes on.

I’m not doing any for it myself, but I wish there was something in our town that we could participate in. I don’t think we have enough of a Latino population here but I do hope it catches on more here since it seems like a really productive way to deal with grief.

There was something about it on Handy Manny this week, which I thought was a great way to address it with children and they did a good job of not making it scary.

No, I know what you mean; it’s so rich in culture, so it would be a great thing to participate in, but oh well :-)

Why don’t’ you just do something on your own? Just research it and stuff. I mean, you don’t have to do exactly the same thing, but maybe you could come up with your own kind of thing; that might be nice. Plus Nov 1 is All Soul’s Day; maybe do something for that?

My son’s Spanish class is celebrating Dia de los muertos tomorrow.  He made a shrine celebrating his Aunt’s life.  They had to cover a shoebox in wrapping paper and put poster board on the back for the information you would find on a gravestone.  He included her name, her birth date and the date she passed away,her picture, and dedication.  On top of the box he has jasmine flowers, candles, and three items that remind him of his aunt.  He chose yarn, because she liked to make blankets.  He also added a Relay For Life Pin, and a butterfly.  She visits us through butterfies.  He will also be bringing brownies for the party.  I think this is a great Spanish lesson.

Hi Christine, I think that’s fantastic! Not only does your son get to remember his Aunt, but he’s learning about another culture at the same time- I think that’s great! Kudos to whoever (the teacher or whomever) thought this up- great lesson all around.

Was he excited about doing it? And please let me know how the celebration went!

Hi Jackie,

Yes, he was very excited.  It was nice for me to see the impact my Sister-In-Law had on my son.  He has very fond memories of her.  He was 9 years old when she passed and he remembers playing Monopoly with her.  She was so great with kids and she loved family.  They played games, watched movies together, and she was an excellent story teller.  He did a presentation in front of the class in English and Spanish.  It sounds like it went real well.  They then had a party with a lot of food.  I agree that this was an excellent lesson!

I’m glad to hear about this, Chrisine. I think it’s a healthy way to deal with death and celebrate a person’s life in a contructive way. It sounds like your son really learned from the project.

Hi Holly,

Yes, I think he learned a lot and I can tell he enjoyed this lesson.  I love when teachers come up with projects that actually mean something to the kids.  I doubt they will forget this lesson.  What a great teacher.

Christine

Hi Christine, It definitely sounds as if your son had a great time- your sister in law sounds like she was a very warm and special person and that he has fond memories of her. That’s going to be wonderful for him, especially as he gets older- I know that’s how it was for me. Great news all around, and I love the fact that he can speak Spanish too- that’s fantastic! Really, your sister in law sounds like a truly wonderful person; I’m sorry she’s gone- we could use more sincere and warm-hearted people like her- seriously!