Día de los muertos is a holiday that is celebrated in Mexico and many other Latin American countries. It falls on November 2nd. On this day, families take the time to remember loved ones and significant people that have passed. This is a time for celebration and not mourning. On this day, there are many celebrations with food, music and dancing.

There are also altars set up with pictures of ancestors surrounded by flowers (marigolds), candles and items that the ancestors loved. For example if they liked to play the guitar, a guitar is placed by their picture etc. This is an opportunity for children to learn about their family members that are no longer living, hear their stories and a time for everyone to celebrate their lives.

We feel it is important to share this aspect of the Latin Culture (solely as a cultural lesson and not religious) so that our students are aware of other cultural celebrations. At all times, we emphasize love and festiveness during this lesson while introducing very basic vocabulary that is specific to the holiday. The lesson is very simple, and we are careful to make it age appropriate for each group.

In the days leading up to the lesson (and after) you may want to show your child pictures of any ancestors and tell them a special story about them.