Resource: Day of the Dead
Media Type:
QuickTime Video
Length: 2m 10s
Size: 5.8 MB
This video from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Latin American communities across the U.S. honor their deceased on Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. Celebrants believe that the spirits of the dead return every year on this day, which coincides with All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The video also shows how Day of the Dead rituals follow the Catholic Church’s teachings about life and death.
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Transcript (Rich Text Format Document)
Loading reviews...Teachers' Domain, Day of the Dead, published July 2, 2009, retrieved on ,
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/awr09.socst.world.glob.dayofdead/
- Background Essay
- Questions for Discussion
- Standards
Print Background EssayWhen Spanish Conquistadors arrived more than 500 years ago in the area that is now Mexico, they encountered native people venerating the dead. During this annual ritual, now known as Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, natives believed that the souls of deceased relatives returned to offer protection to the loved ones they left behind.
The Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of earthly life, believed the rite was sacrilegious. They tried to eradicate the ritual during their attempts to convert the natives to Catholicism, but their efforts were in vain. The natives, believing that life continued after death, were hard-pressed to do away with a ritual that had been so deeply woven into their culture for more than 3,000 years.
The Day of the Dead festival used to take place over one month's time during the ninth month of the Aztec solar calendar, which coincides with August. Today it is celebrated on November 2, a date chosen by the Spaniards in an effort to keep the festival associated with the Christian holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The holiday -- celebrated in Mexico, as well as in parts of the United States and Central and South America -- is one example of how Mexican culture has been incorporated into the U.S.
The traditions associated with this day differ, depending on where it is celebrated. In general, it is more of a cultural event in urban areas, and more of a religious one in rural Mexican areas. Common to both is the practice of offering food and other objects to deceased loved ones. In rural parts of Mexico, people spend the day in the cemeteries where their relatives are buried. They bring ofrendas (offerings) such as flowers, toys and food to place on the tombstones. Those who choose not to visit the cemeteries often build altars, including food, flowers, prayer candles, and photos of the deceased, in their homes. The use of the skull, one of the basic elements of the Aztec ritual, continues to be incorporated into today's rituals. There are skull masks, chocolate- or sugar-shaped skulls and skull-shaped pan de los muertos (sweetened bread).
We assign reference terms to each statement within a standards document and to each media resource, and correlations are based upon matches of these terms for a given grade band. If a particular standards document of interest to you is not displayed yet, it most likely has not yet been processed by ASN or by Teachers' Domain. We will be adding social studies and arts correlations over the coming year, and also will be increasing the specificity of alignment.Source: Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly: "Day of the Dead"
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