Warren Students Celebrate 'Day Of The Dead '

By Mia Bivaletz

Students in Alexis Slack’s 8th grade Spanish classes at Warren Middle School learned about the history and importance of Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. The holiday of Día de los Muertos is a national holiday in Mexico and has become increasingly popular among communities in the United States. As part of the Mexican philosophy, Día de los Muertos is not a solemn occasion, but rather a festive and joyous time to celebrate and honor loved ones who are deceased.

Throughout the past week, students participated in various customs associated with the holiday. They created papel picado, or “perforated paper,” a traditional folk art from Mexico that involves cutting out intricate patterns on colorful tissue paper. The tissue paper is then fastened to a string in a line to form banners which are used as decoration.

Students designed mariposas (butterflies). Each year the Monarch butterflies arrive in Mexico in late-October and make their winter homes in the tops of the trees high in the mountains. According to local legend, the Monarch butterflies arriving in Mexico at this time of the year are believed to be the souls of the deceased returning to earth.

Students also created a class “Ofrenda” with decorative items and/or personal photographs. Ofrendas are an essential part of the Day of the Dead celebrations. The word ofrenda means offering in Spanish. Typically in homes, family members honor their loved ones with ofrendas which may consist of photographs, foods, flowers, decorations, and other symbolic offerings. Ofrendas are set up to remember and honor the memory of their ancestors.

Students also prepared and sampled various foods and beverages, reflective of the holiday. Some of these foods were the following: pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a round, sweet bread with shapes on top which are suggestive of bones, often either sprinkled with sugar or sesame seeds, Calaveras de Azúcar (Sugar Skulls), tamales, fruits, sweets, and various juices.

Finally, through shared integrated technology such as PowerPoint and Google Drive, students had an opportunity to honor and discuss in detail either a family member, pet, or public figure, thus demonstrating an understanding of the unit in both English and the target language, Spanish. Additionally, students focused on the historical aspects of the holiday, illustrating the differences and similarities they found between Día de los Muertos and their own cultures.