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Day of the Dead by  Shmuel  Ross  (adapted)  https://www.teachervision.com/mexico/resource/5616.html?detoured=1  

 The  Mexican  holiday  of  Día  de  los  Muertos,  or  Day  of  the  Dead,  takes  place  over  the  first  two  days  of  November.  Its  origins  are  a  mixture  of  Native  American  traditions  and  a  set  of  Catholic  holidays.    While  the  holiday's  practices  include  spending  time  in  cemeteries,  making  shrines  to  the  dead,  and  displaying  artistic  representations  of  skulls  and  skeletons,  the  occasion  is  festive,  rather  than  morbid.  Death  isn't  seen  as  the  end  of  one's  life,  but  as  a  natural  part  of  the  life  cycle;  the  dead  

continue  to  exist  much  as  they  did  in  their  lives,  and  come  back  to  visit  the  living  every  year.    Questions:    

1. What  is  the  setting  of  this  holiday?  _______________________________________  2. When  does  this  holiday  take  place?  

a. October  30th  31st      b. October  31st—November  1st    c. November  1st—2nd      d. November  2nd—3rd    

3. Which  of  these  is  NOT  practiced  on  Día  de  los  Muertos?  a. Making  shrines  to  the  dead  b. Visiting  cemeteries  c. Displaying  art  d. Trick-­‐or-­‐treating  

4. True  or  False:  Día  de  los  Muertos  is  a  holiday  that  celebrates  death  as  a  natural  part  of  the  human  life  cycle.  ______________________  

   Aztec  origins    In  the  Aztec  calendar,  there  are  two  months  that  each  contain  twenty  days.  The  first  month  was  called  Miccailhuitomi  which  means  "Feast  of  the  Little  Dead  Ones.”  The  following  month  was  called  Miccailhuitl,  which  means  "Feast  of  the  Adult  Dead."  Evidence  shows  us  that  Aztecs  celebrated  both  months  together.  They  celebrated  the  cycle  of  death  and  life  for  forty  days.    Questions  

1. What  does  Miccailhuitomi  mean?  ___________________________________________________  2. How  many  days  did  Aztec  celebrate  the  cycle  of  life  and  death?  _________________  

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 The  Spanish  Imposition    In  the  early  1500s,  Spanish  conquistadors,  led  by  Hernando  Cortéz,  conquered  the  Aztec  Empire,  taking  over  the  area  we  now  know  as  Mexico.  They  immediately  tried  to  convert  the  native  population  to  Catholicism.  They  did  this  for  religious  and  political  reasons.  The  Spanish  missionaries  practiced  All  Saints'  Day  (November  1st)  and  All  Souls'  Day  (November  2nd).  Eventually,  the  practices  of  the  Aztec  people  and  other  American  Indian  groups  incorporated  these  Catholic  traditions  with  their  own  traditions.  Día  de  los  Muertos  is  a  unique  hybrid  of  the  two.    Questions  

1. When  is  All  Souls’  Day?  

_________________________________________________________________  2. Why  is  Día  de  los  Muertos  a  unique  hybrid  of  cultures?  __________________________________________  

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

 Welcoming  the  Dead    People  believe  that  the  souls  of  one's  family  come  home  to  their  families  on  Día  de  los  Muertos.  They  join  in  the  Day  of  the  Dead  festivities.  First,  those  who  died  as  babies  come  home.  Next,  those  who  died  as  children  come  home.  Finally,  those  who  died  as  adults  come  home.      Families  set  up  altars  (ofrendas)  in  their  homes.  These  are  decorated  in  bright  colors  and  full  of  the  favorite  foods  of  their  dead.  Typically,  the  altars  contain  photographs  of  the  dead,  representations  of  things  they  liked,  and  items  representing  the  four  elements:  candles  for  fire,  drinks  for  water,  fruit  for  earth,  and  fluttering  tissue-­‐paper  decorations  for  wind.  The  dead  take  in  the  essence  of  the  food,  which  will  later  be  eaten  by  the  living.    In  some  areas,  families  go  to  the  graveyard  to  celebrate  through  the  night.  They  clean  and  decorate  the  graves,  sometimes  setting  up  ofrendas  on  the  gravestones,  as  bells  are  rung.      Questions  

1. Which  souls  return  to  their  families  first?  ________________________________________________________    

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Day of the Dead Double Puzzle! Directions:  

1. Unscramble  the  words  from  the  article  above.  

2. Copy  the  letters  in  the  numbered  cells  to  other  cells  with  the  same  number.  

2. What  are  the  four  elements?  _______________________________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

3. What  are  ofrendas?  What  is  their  purpose?  _______________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

 

                 

     

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Skeleton  Decorations    The  major  feature  of  Day  of  the  Dead  decorations  is  skeletons,  or  calacas.  Skeletons  are  everywhere,  from  tissue-­‐paper  scenes  to  tiny  plastic  toys,  from  cardboard  puppets  to  ceramic  sculptures,  from  posters  to  papier  mache.  These  skeletons  are  usually  cheerful,  and  they  are  designed  to  show  the  full  range  of  activities  and  professions  people  perform.  Farmers,  barbers,  

secretaries,  fire  fighters...  if  somebody  does  it  while  alive,  you  can  find  that  person’s  job  of  a  skeleton  doing  it  while  dead.    This  theme  extends  to  the  day's  food  and  treats.  The  Day  of  the  Dead  feast  

typically  includes  a  special  egg-­‐batter  "bread  of  the  dead,"  pan  de  muerto.  While  the  form  of  this  bread  is  different  from  region  to  region,  it  is  often  decorated  with  strips  of  dough  resembling  bones,  or  made  to  resemble  a  dead  body.    Also  common  are  skulls  and  skeletons  made  of  sugar  or  candy.  Some  people  get  sugar  

skulls  made  to  resemble  themselves,  or  with  their  names  inscribed  on  them.    Questions:    

1. True  or  False:  Calacas  are  usually  sad.  __________________________  2. Food  eaten  during  Día  de  los  Muertos  is  usually:  

a. Candy  b. Food  in  the  shape  of  a  skeleton  c. Sandwich  bread  d. Turkey  bones  

 Is  Día  de  los  Muertos  similar  to  Halloween  in  the  United  States?      Both  Day  of  the  Dead  and  Halloween  are  originally  from  All  Saints'  and  All  Souls'  Days  but  the  tones  of  the  two  holidays  is  very  different.  Today,  Halloween  in  the  U.S.A.  is  a  time  to  celebrate  scary  things  with  scary  movies,  costumes,  and  parties.  Children  go  trick-­‐or-­‐treating  for  lots  of  candy.  But  Día  de  los  Muertos  celebrates  being  with  one's  family—alive  and  dead—and  remembering  those  who  are  no  longer  alive.  Death  is  simply  another  stage  after  life,  not  something  scary.    Questions:  

1. Which  holiday  celebrates  family?  a. Día  de  los  Muertos  b. Halloween  

   

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 2. Why  do  you  think  Halloween  is  important  to  people  who  celebrate  it?  

________________________________________________________________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

3. Why  do  you  think  Day  of  the  Dead  is  important  to  people  who  celebrate  it?  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

4. In  your  opinion,  what  is  the  best  way  to  remember  loved  ones  who  have  died?  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________                                            

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 Día de los Muertos Crossword  

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S A D N E R F O B K K D S S I

S T N I A S C Y C L E Y U E M

C E L E B R A T I O N S G R O

X O U W U G B F F S Y L A U T

A D R H I R E N T R T R R T I

T A E R T R O K C I R T S L U

C R A C V O M Y U Q H L K U H

A V E A O E C H D A K N U C L

L S L B X R L T L N O L L E I

A T O I M I A L O T A H L T A

C S C U A E O T E B T C S Z C

A O J C L W V L I A E I C A C

S G C C E S E O E O R R A C I

D I C E X K W D N O N O R P M

M W N S S P I R I T S S Y H K

AZTEC CALACAS CANDY CELEBRATIONS CULTURES CYCLE DEATH DECORATIONS HALLOWEEN LIFE MEXICO MICCAILHUITL MICCAILHUITOMI NOVEMBER OCTOBER OFRENDAS SAINTS SCARY SKELETON SOULS SPIRITS SUGARSKULLS

 

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Design your own calaca Pick  6  adjectives  to  describe  yourself  or  the  person  

you  would  like  to  remember  and  write  it  inside  the  calaca.    

My  6  words  are: