"Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the
world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and
friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have
died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national
holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration takes place on
November 1, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the
holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the
departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave
possessions of the deceased."
Today, Ms. Smith's and Ms. Mariani's classes learned about Day of the Dead. We took a closer look at the sugar skulls used in the celebration. As we examined the skulls, we noticed that they all had similar characteristics. The skulls used many organic and geometric shapes, floral designs, symmetry, lines, and color. After looking at many examples, the students began drawing out their own sugar skull with the use of oil pastels. They choose what shapes to create, what colors to use, and whether or not to have their skull symmetrical or asymmetrical. Students were encouraged to fill in their color so it was nice and bold.
Here are some photos from today's classes:
