Day of the Dead is NOT part of Halloween

          I love the movie “Coco” and for the respect that Disney put into the movie just as those who celebrate the holiday pay respect and honor those who have gone before them.  It is a two day event of celebrating life and staying connected.  This article compares the holiday to Thanksgiving as we are grateful to those who have gone before us.  “Dia de los Muertos” should not be associated with Halloween.  There are some who have misunderstood because Day of the Dead celebration takes place the two days following Halloween.  (See here and here).

https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/how-to-survive-the-day-of-the-dead

          I don’t remember having ever heard of the Day of the Dead until after Corey and Joh were married.  I don’t know if it is taught in schools every year now or if it may be taught at all.  I know it had been taught at the local elementary as I was there on Friday.  I’d been at the middle school the day before that.  It was on Thursday which happened to be the same day as Halloween. Several of the middle schoolers had dressed up in costume and there was an assembly.  Somehow that day became my Friday and I’d forgotten that it really was not Saturday the following day.

          There were three subs at the elementary school on Friday.  I think if the staff had not had subs there, they would have been fine without us except for at lunch and recess.  Other than that, it had to be one of the most unproductive days of my life.  I did assist in the kindergarten with two different teachers.  One had passed out copies of pictures to be folded into a book with four pages.  The title was on front.  The next three pages gave little detail on the Day of the Dead holiday.

                    The Day of the Dead is a festival of joy!

                    It is an old festival.

                    Long ago it celebrated the autumn harvest.

          In the other class I helped cut out and sort bones and passed them to the children to paste to bodied silhouettes.  This is an idea of the craft: 

          At lunch time there were a few kids crying because they missed their cats or their grandmothers or someone who had died.  After lunch and recess each class watched the movie “Coco”.  The concept may not fully sink into their minds right now.  I hope that one day that it does.  I hope we may all choose to celebrate the lives and dashes of those who have gone before us.