NORWICH – Holy Family School’s 5th and 6th grade Spanish students put their knowledge of the Mexican holiday, Dia de Los Muertos to the test during the month of October by creating a traditional altar to celebrate the lives of lost loved ones.
The Aztec, Olmec and Toltec tribes of pre-Columbian Mexico believed the worlds of the present life and the after life touched each other, and the spirits of the deceased were able to return for a short while to the present world. Thus, they created Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and celebrated it on the 1st and 2nd of November as a way to commemorate the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the New Year.
For the project, Spanish students prepared a large classroom ofrenda, or altar to celebrate the life of a loved one who had passed away. Some common items found on a Dia de Los Muertos altar include pictures, a small description of the person, crosses, food (usually their favorite foods), any personal items of the deceased, marigolds (whose scent is thought to bring the spirit back home) and incense. Students chose a person or pet to honor, and wrote descriptions about the individual and included a picture.
“The ofrendas were very personal and touching as some students wrote about family pets that passed away or family members such as great grandfathers and grandmothers whom they never knew,” said newly hired Spanish teacher Cassie Buckley.
The Spanish program at Holy Family School - now in its third year - is gaining strength in its fourth year with the addition of K-4th grade classroom. The amount of class time for 5th an 6th graders has also been extended to three days a week and 7th and 8th graders meet each school day.
Buckley is a recent graduate of SUNY Brockport with degrees in Spanish and theater, and is currently working on her master’s degree in adolescent education for Spanish.
The culmination of the project included a newspaper article competition between students who wrote about their experience with the ofrenda. Below is the winning article:
Day of the Dead Project Sparks Student Interest
Gina Arcidiacono
In late October, the 5th and 6th grade students at Holy Family School made ofrendas to honor their passed loved ones and to celebrate Day of the Dead. Ofrendas are altars that include flowers, candles, grooming items, and things the loved ones enjoyed while living.
My experience writing my ofrenda about my Grandma Madeline Vivenzio Meo was very interesting. At first, I didn’t know a lot about my grandma, but my family has told me a lot of cool things about her. I found out that she loved Looney Tunes, she was a good cook, and some of her specialties were cream puffs and meatballs.
My aunts, JoAnn and Linda, recently visited me for my Aunt Anna’s baby shower, and they brought up some funny facts about grandma. My Aunt JoAnn said that she got grandma a sweatshirt that said, “I’m talking and I can’t shut up!” which suited her well because she loved to talk!
My experience was also a little sad because I heard a lot of things about grandma that I missed out on. But, I also got to listen to my family reminisce about their special times with grandma (which were pretty fun!). I wish I could have spent more time with my grandma and taken part in the experiences my mom and my aunts got to take part in. But, just getting to know grandma better is great too.
I liked doing this project a lot because it brought up a lot of conversation and good memories with my family, especially with my mom. I got to find out many more things about my grandma that I never knew before because she died when I was only 3 years old. My mom and I had a great time thinking of important facts and fun stories about grandma.
Even though I don’t remember many things about my grandmother, I still love her as well as my grandfather, Anthony Meo. My grandparents are very special people to me.