People celebrated theDay of the Dead at f̂ .parade in Californl^

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Vocabularyaltars: tables where special objects can beplaced for a ceremonyancient: very old; from a long time agodecays: rots or breaks downtraditional: something that has beenhanded down for many yearsancestors: members of a person's familywho lived long ago

• * / «

of the

Each fall, Mexican-Americans remembertheir loved anes—and their roots

Hernán Luna, 16, misseshis late grandfather. LastNovember, Hernán got aspecial chance to honor him.The teen watched his momplace his grandfather's photoon a small table decoratedwith candles and flowers.The family was celebratingthe Day of the Dead.

Hernán lives in Riverdale,Maryland, but his parentsare from Mexico. "Mexicansbelieve that on this day, thedead come back to visit,"explains Hernán.

Welcoming Bacicthe Dead

The Day of the Deadactually takes place ontwo days, November 1and 2. Though it happensjust after Halloween, it isa very different holiday.To Mexicans, the dead are

not scary. Instead, they arewelcome visitors.

The first day of theholiday is for rememberingchildren who have died.The second day honorsadults. "We cook the foodthey always loved and putit next to their picture,"says Hernán. For Hernán's

grandfather, that meanshandmade corn tortillas anda tall glass of ice water.

¡Fiesta!In Mexico, the Day of the

Dead is a national holiday.People clean and decoratethe graves of lost loved ones.They also buy or bake pande muerto—the bread of thedead. They eat this sweetbread and also place it onaltars. Children eat tinyskulls made of white sugar.

At night, friends andfamily members gather tocelebrate in the streets. Insome places, people dressin skeleton costumes. Rowsof candles and orangemarigold fiowers are believedto guide the dead to altars.Colorful paper skeletonshang overhead.

This dancer isin costume ata Day of theDead festival.

PHOTOS: Watch people celebrate the Day

of the Dead, sclioiastic.com/actionlink

Scholastic Action | September 20,2010 17

Sugar skullsare a colorfuland tasty treat

Undying LaveThe roots of the Day of

the Dead go back thousandsof years. Professor MarthaBdrcenas-Mooradian is anexpert on the holiday. Sheteaches at Pitzer Universityin California. She explainsthat, according to ancientMexican legend, a persondies three times.

First comes the death ofthe body, when a person'sheart stops beating. Thesecond death occurs when abody decays back into theearth. Finally, a person istruly dead when he or she isforgotten by the living.

"The Day of the Dead isour effort to remember all of

those who passed beforeus—so we don't let themdie," explains ProfessorBdrcenas-Mooradian.

Living MemariesJesús Sanchez, 18,

celebrated the Day of theDead for the first time lastyear. His family madean altar to honor hisgrandmother at their homein Houston, Texas.

"We had a picture of mygrandmother and an apronto show what she liked todo when she was alive—shecooked," says Jesús.

Jesús also took part in aDay of the Dead festival.He played mariachi, a

traditional Mexicanmusic. Jesús looks forwardto celebrating the holidayfor many years to come."Whenever I lose somebodyclose to me, I'm going towant to celebrate his or herlife," he says.

A Grawing HalidayProfessor Bórcenas-

Mooradian says that moreand more people in theU.S. are celebrating theDay of the Dead. "It's a funholiday," she says. "And ona deeper level, it helps usconnect with people who'vegone before us. We are herebecause of our ancestors."

—Rachel Waugh

18 Scholastic Action | September 20, 2010

READING A MAP

Skeletons on ParadeEach year, several U.S. cities hold parades to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

Is there a parade near you? Look at the map to see where someparades are held. Then answer the questions.

PACIFICOCEAN

i CKy that holds aparade for theDay of the Dead

National capital MEXiCOAlotlia end Hawaii ara nat included on thi» map.

1 • According to the map, which cityIn Texas holds a parade?® Dallas©Austin© Houston® Tucson

. Which state has parades intwo cities?® Oregon © Texas(D Washington @ California

Answers are in the Teaching Guide.

3 • If you wanted to go from theparade in Missoula to the paradein Portland, in which directionwould you need to travel?® north © east® south @ west

The parade in Austin isthe one in San Francisco.® southwest © northwest® southeast ® northeast

of

Scholastic Action | September 20, 2010 19

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