Día de los Muertos

 

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday honoring deceased family members and friends. It is celebrated on November 1 and 2 in Mexico and other Latin American countries. On November 1, children who have died are honored. Their graves are decorated with white orchids and baby’s breath. On November 2, adults who have passed away are honored. Their graves are decorated with bright orange marigolds.   At home, small, personal altars are set up with flowers, candles, food, drinks, photos and personal mementos of the people being remembered.

Día de los Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life. The holiday acknowledges death as a natural part of the human experience, a continuum with birth, childhood, and growing up to become a contributing member of the community. On Día de los Muertos, the dead are also a part of the community, awakened from their eternal sleep to share celebrations with loved ones.

Skeletons and skulls are the most familiar symbol of Día de los Muertos. They appear in candied sweets, as parade masks and as dolls. The skeletons and skulls are portrayed as enjoying life, often in fancy clothes and entertaining situations.

The holiday originated in Mexico but is celebrated everywhere where there is a Latino population. Los Angeles, CA has celebrations throughout the city.

For Spanish-speaking teens and adults who want to learn English, visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com. A popular series is English for the Spanish Speaker. This is a four book series. It is for Spanish speakers who know how to read and write Spanish. Each book in the series has eight lessons. In Books 1 and 2, the lessons are about every day activities. In Books 3 and 4, four lessons are about every day activities and the other four are about United States history or government. The print in the workbooks is large. The reading level in Book 1 is at the first and second grade level. The books get progressively more difficult. The reading level for Book 4 is at the fourth grade reading level. Each lesson begins with a vocabulary list, then a conversation, story, activity pages, and finally an answer key. The lessons are bilingual with the word lists, conversations, and stories presented in Spanish and English. The directions for the activity pages are in Spanish but the activities are in English. There are two dictionaries at the back of each workbook: a Spanish dictionary and an English dictionary. There is a CD available for each workbook so the student can listen to the vocabulary lists, conversations and stories in English. This series has been very popular with adult education classes.

                         

Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to learn more about this series English for the Spanish Speaker and other workbooks for Spanish-speaking teens and adults who want to learn English.