The Day of the dead
Dia de Los Muertos, or in its english translation, Day of the Dead, is a spanish celebration that originated with pre-Colombian cultures. The main culture cited is normally the Aztecs. This holiday was previously celebrated for the entire ninth month of the Aztec calendar. However, today we celebrate it for only three days. The holiday is all about honoring the dead and their memory. In order to do this, people do many different things, such as make altars, bread, and stay watch for an entire night, as their lost loved ones supposedly search for them.
For our exhibition, we only did the first two things, and I only made an altar, personally. For my dead loved one, I chose my uncle, Tommy, who I'm named after. He died in 2002, when I was very young, so I never really knew him. This project was an interesting one, from scouring my memory for information about him, to a somewhat awkward call with my grandmother to ask about things he used to enjoy. Eventually, I found enough information to go out and collect items for my altar. The items included a dive compass, some toy motorcycles, and of course, three pictures of him. The experience was very odd feeling, as I knew he was related to me and passed on, but I felt like I always should have known more about him.
Although this project didn't help me learn any new vocabulary or grammar necessarily, it helped me to get a feel for the culture tied to the language I'm learning. I definitely learned a thing or two about what it's really like to celebrate this holiday, and I enjoyed that, because my family isn't one that focuses heavily on culture. One thing I have to say though, is that I was surprisingly proud of the altar I made. I didn't have much time to put it together, but in the end, it came out looking just as good as the others, if not with a few too many objects on it.
For our exhibition, we only did the first two things, and I only made an altar, personally. For my dead loved one, I chose my uncle, Tommy, who I'm named after. He died in 2002, when I was very young, so I never really knew him. This project was an interesting one, from scouring my memory for information about him, to a somewhat awkward call with my grandmother to ask about things he used to enjoy. Eventually, I found enough information to go out and collect items for my altar. The items included a dive compass, some toy motorcycles, and of course, three pictures of him. The experience was very odd feeling, as I knew he was related to me and passed on, but I felt like I always should have known more about him.
Although this project didn't help me learn any new vocabulary or grammar necessarily, it helped me to get a feel for the culture tied to the language I'm learning. I definitely learned a thing or two about what it's really like to celebrate this holiday, and I enjoyed that, because my family isn't one that focuses heavily on culture. One thing I have to say though, is that I was surprisingly proud of the altar I made. I didn't have much time to put it together, but in the end, it came out looking just as good as the others, if not with a few too many objects on it.
It's not the most perfect picture
but here is my altar!
but here is my altar!