The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) was celebrated in our school and students from Middle School and High School built for the first time, two altars, decorated them, brought sweets, setup Catrinas and Calaveras and participated in a very festive event. Below is a small description of this very important celebration and its meaning. You can also view many photos from this event.
“Día de los Muertos”
It is a holiday that 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 attains the quality of a National Holiday. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd.
Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.
Some families build altars in their homes. Toys are brought for dead children and bottles of tequila for adults.
La Catrina
It is as a parody of a Mexican upper-class female. It is a striking image of a costumed female with a skeleton face. It is an icon of the Day of the Dead.
Las Calaveras
Calavera—the skull or skeleton—is the number one symbol for the Days of the Dead. But it is not presented to terrorize. Instead, the calavera represents the playfulness of the Dead, as they mimic the Living and frolic amongst us.
You see La Calavera in baked goods and sugar candies— 'calaveras de azucar'
Made from a sugar paste cast in molds, the candy skulls of the Days of the Dead are decorated with colorful foil eyes and icing.
Literary Calaveras
Those with a distinctive talent for writing sometimes create short poems, called calaveras ("skulls"), mocking epitaphs of friends, describing interesting habits and attitudes or funny anecdotes.
Newspapers dedicate calaveras to public figures, with cartoons of skeletons in the style of the famous calaveras.
The advanced Spanish IB B level and AP students have created very funny “literary calaveras” dedicated to different teachers and/or friends.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 11:04AM 
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