During the month of October Spanish students will be participating in a cultural study of the Mexican celebration known as the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a centuries-old holiday which is a blend of ancient Aztec customs and Spanish Catholic rituals.  The celebration lasts from October 31st to November 2nd and is a time in which loved ones who have passed are honored and remembered in very special ways. Altars are built in homes, and the markets are filled with special holiday foods. Plays and parades are held in many places. Often people celebrate in the cemeteries.  

 In the classroom students will make special decorations - papel picado (decorative paper cut-outs), calavera pictures (skulls), tissue paper flowers, and also create a typical altar for an imaginary relative named Pancho. Students enjoy this unique Mexican holiday which has some outward similarities to the Halloween celebration here in the United States but also some new and interesting concepts that are fun to explore.