Celebramos el Día de los Muertos

CB Spanish classes are using an upcoming holiday to mourn the deaths of their loved ones in a celebratory way.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican celebration held on November 1st and 2nd to honor the lives of the deceased. The belief is that the dead would be insulted by mourning or sadness, so their lives are celebrated with a fiesta where their families enjoy food, drinks, and activities the dead enjoyed in life.

Common celebrations include death decorations such as esqueletos (skeletons) and calaveras (skulls) which are painted with vibrant colors, which symbolize life and joy to counteract the sadness.

Spanish teacher Mr. Tomas Capogreco ’86 celebrates the traditions of Día de los Muertos with his Spanish IV class. The students are writing a paragraph to commemorate the lives of a loved one who has passed, and will share their work on November 2nd with the class.

The students’ paragraphs will also be decorated with Día de los Muertos themed drawings and bound together to form a book of remembrance.

Terise Camasura (’16), the designer of the front page for the booklet, shared what she likes best about the holiday.

“It’s a time where we honor the dead and remember those who we loved,” shares the artistic senior. “I like how it’s not just mourning death, but celebrating it.”

Mr. Capogreco also made a sugar skull for each of his Spanish IV students, which they will decorate and place along the altar in his classroom.

Kenia DeLira (’17) informed the Talon on what decorating the skulls means to her.

“Decorating the skulls was a way to embrace my culture and express my gratitude for those who have passed away,” the junior says.

Ms. Tracy Chadbourne and Ms. Ana Fernandez are also bringing the traditions of the holiday to their classrooms. Ms. Chadbourne’s Spanish classes have the choice of creating a matchbook creation, flowers crafted out of tissue paper, a Día de los Muertos mask, or pan de muertos, which is Mexican bread shaped in a skull.

Jaret Valverde (’19), a freshman in Ms. Fernandez’s Spanish one class, is thrilled to partake in the festivities.

“I am excited to see how people celebrate Day of the Dead here at Christian Brothers,” he says.

On November 2nd, a celebratory altar will be in the main hallway decorated with vibrant calaveras and the book of remembrance will be available for anyone to read. Día de los Muertos is a time for celebrating and remembering their passed loved ones in a cheerful and celebratory way.