Subject Teacher Glimpse: Reflections on El Dia de los Muertos
Reflections on El Dia de los Muertos
By Sean Flaherty-Echeverria (Profe Flaherty)
The snowfall on Halloween and subsequent cooler temperatures of November really set the tone for celebrating el Día de los Muertos at MWS, inviting us to reflect on our own lives, our loved ones, and where we come from. This particular tradition of honoring and remembering our loved ones and ancestors goes back thousands of years to the original peoples of what is today Mexico.
In their Spanish classes, the middle school students read about the origins of the celebration and learned that the calaveras or skulls that decorate many ofrendas have their roots in the images of the Aztec goddess of death and the underworld, Mictecacihuatl. They also learned how Spanish conquest attempted to eradicate all native beliefs and practices. The Catholic church eventually converted the tradition into All Souls Day. Many indigenous elements were imbued in quite creative ways, such as Mayans painting their crosses green to represent the sacred ceiba tree, which grew straight and tall with horizontal branches, much like the shape of a cross.
One of the highlights of the lesson was enjoying pan de muerto and champurrado or sweet bread and Mexican hot chocolate. Thanks to the contributions of parents bringing in bread, Ms Malstadt and the 3rd graders for baking bread – and a lot of time in the kitchen stirring the hot chocolate – each class enjoyed delicious treats. I even heard that one inspired student went shopping for chocolate Abuelita, sticks of canela, piloncillo and made hot chocolate the Mexican way for their family.
Our students got to help with the preparation of the school ofrenda by making handmade decorations. Students in grades 5-8 created the papel picado, which can be seen hanging throughout the festival hall. Students in 2nd and 6th grades made paper flores de cempasúchil to adorn the arch and path to the ofrenda. First and 2nd graders made sugar skulls, and grades 1-3 colored beautiful decorated calaveras to create the wall of arched skulls that was above the altar to pets and animals.
Once the ofrenda was finalized, each class visited during their Spanish time and learned about the elements of the altar. For example, the younger grades learned that the candles bring light and warmth to the returning souls. The older students learned that the three levels of the ofrenda represented the earth, the heavens, and the underworld, which are found in both Aztec and Mayan understandings of the universe.
The ofrenda served as an impressive backdrop for the Friday gathering on Nov. 8th. The 4th grade performed a silly skeleton song, and Mr. Carlos, Mr. Harris, and myself performed a song from the Son Jarocho tradition. This song highlighted the humorous side of el Día de los Muertos, in which Death falls in love with the singer and pursues him, though eventually giving up in an ironic lyric where Death died (La muerte murió). The ofrenda served us as a space to come together as a community and remember our passed loved ones and those who came before us, but it also demonstrated the way traditions can be created and enjoyed in warmth with each other year after year.