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Showing posts from October, 2020

Day of the Dead

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What Can We Learn and Apply to Grief from  Day of the Dead? By: Elizabeth McKeehan, IMH   Day of the Dead is celebrated October 31 - November 2 within Mexican tradition. You may be thinking, is Day of the Dead a mockery of death or a celebration of life? Yes, and yes. For the better part of my 10-year Spanish teaching career I minimized this seemingly creepy and odd celebration. The Aztecs viewed death in a positive light, as ever present and integral to life itself. This current tradition goes back 3,000 years and embraces Mesoamerican ritual, European religion, and Spanish culture.   Skeletons, candy skulls, altars, and yellow marigolds all hold significance and are visible everywhere during this holiday. Skeletons are created that depict everyday life and hobbies but look comical in their lack of skin or clothes. Kids enjoy eating the candy skulls that poke fun at death, the altars are a way to honor the memory of their loved ones by preparing their favorite