Our celebration of Día de Los Muertos serves as a reminder that we need to pray for the deceased, for the peace of their loved ones, and for the eternal life that awaits us all.
As much hope as Jesus provided in His victory over death, there is also despair in the vacancies left by the departure of our beloved. However much joy this holiday brings, it is equally sad because it reminds us of the sadness that death brings when our loved ones leave this earthly life. How could we find the joy of eternal life without Jesus first earning it for us? Viva Cristo Rey! Viva La Vida Eterna! Without the victory on the cross, this holiday would not have come to be. We pray, sing, laugh, eat, and smile on a day where we remember Jesus and His victory over death. We reflect on how different death is seen and interpreted between our American culture and the Spanish speaking culture we’ve learned so much about while also considering how it changes our views and our personal faith to see death celebrated in such a beautiful way. We look into the Aztec and Catholic roots of this holiday and how they’ve blended together to create this beautiful celebration of life. We listen to the stories of those families who celebrate the holiday and what means the most to them during the three-day celebration. We spend time on social media looking at photos and videos of what cemeteries look like right now in México and Guatemala. Our Día de Los Muertos celebration is filled with discovery, inquiry, and reflection. By the end of the week, the altar is a reflection of who we are, who we love, and the legacies we hope to leave when we pass into eternal life.
Through this discovery, we create mini ofrendas for these individuals so we can remember them in death after learning from their life. We learn about our Hispanic church heroes those who have been martyrs for the church, those who spread the love of our Father, those who died as a champion of the Catholic faith. Still more students spend time creating paper versions of the cempasuchil, or marigold flowers, to help decorate and add to the ofrenda. We include a description of what our deceased loved ones liked, what they did, and our favorite memories of them. Other students draw what their family altar might look like in their own homes for those who have passed away. As pictures are added, my students also spend time creating calaveras, or skulls, that reflect their lives. Throughout the week, students and staff begin to bring in photos of their deceased loved ones to fill our classroom ofrenda. My favorite classroom tradition is creating an ofrenda, or altar, to display pictures of those in our lives who have passed away in a culturally appropriate and accurate way.Our classroom altar starts out quite simple, including only flores (flowers), velas (candles), a few twinkling luces (lights), and sugar skulls, or calaveras de azúcar. There are many misconceptions and stereotypes about this holiday, so I strive to teach the Catholic identity of this three-day holiday that coincides with All Saint’s Day and All Souls Day.
This holiday has deep roots in México, but is celebrated throughout the Spanish speaking world in Central and South America. What is it?ĭía de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a day in which we welcome home, honor, and pray for the people in our lives who have passed away. She shared all about this celebration and how her classes participate, learn and grow from the experience. Each year, Skutt Catholic Spanish teacher Rachel Twist and her students celebrate Día de los Muertos, with a three-day celebration.
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