'Pan de Muerto'Dia de los muertos is a widely celebrated holiday throughout Mexico. Even though it is about celebrating the dead, it is really a day to be very happy, and praise anything that has passed away. The real legend is that for one night, all of our dead relatives, pets, kids, or anything will rise up for a night and take our gifts to them. Many times people will put out a trail of marigold flowers leading to an altar. They use marigolds because they have a very strong scent, and bright colors so the dead can easily find their way to the alter in the dark. An altar is some sort of table or anything that holds your gifts. Often, people will put letters, delicious foods, candles, and decorative skulls on the altar. Skulls and skeletons are a very huge symbol of dia de los muertos. They are never meant to be scary either, The skulls and skeletons tend to be very pretty and occasionally humorous. Another traditional object in dia de los muertos is called the sugar skull. The sugar skull is basically a skull shaped piece of sugar decorated with frosting. A lot of times it isn't a for eating, yet it is still edible. The skull is mainly just symbolizing that even though it is a skull, or death, it is still sweet. A traditional food from dia de los muertos is called 'Pan de Muerto.' Pan de muerto is a thick bread made of flour, eggs, margarine, and sugar. It is usually made into a large loaf for a group to eat, but sometimes it is made into individual sized pieces. Pan de muerto is usually decorated with sprinkles on top. Our Spanish class is celebrating Dia de los Muertos by making sugar skulls, and learning about the history.
Sugar Skulls and An Alter
Marigolds and Happy Skeletons
