A few weeks ago, we did a Dia De Los Muertos celebration in our Arts Bridge class. We decided to do this instead of a typical Halloween activity to immerse the students in another culture and their traditions. This made them very excited I'm happy to say, and the Latino students were thrilled to share their culture.
I started off by showing them how to make a Day of the Dead mask, teaching that each color means something different when added to the mask. Red= life, purple= sorrow, yellow= the sun, and how we're all one under the sun, pink= happiness, and white= purity. The Day of the Dead celebrations are to remember those who have already passed on. They do this by making the deceased people's favorite food and bringing to their graves. They talk about these people and remember their good times. They dance and sing and eat food made only for those three days of the celebration. The students were asked to make their own masks, and then to create their own favorite foods. Lastly, we talked about the marigolds. Marigolds in Mexican tradition are removed of their petals. These petals are strewn through the streets to the place where you will have your party. This is so the spirits will be able to follow them and attend the gathering. It's a day to remember family both here and not.
I got a thrill watching the students who celebrate the holiday telling other students about different things they do. One boy in particular was ecstatic talking about the Pan de Muertos bread his mother makes every year. Two girls were wracking their brains to think of every delicious Mexican dish they could think of to make for their party. We all had a great time, and I can't wait till next week to do our next lesson!
