The Day of the Dead is a special holiday celebrated in many places like Mexico and parts of the United States to honor people who have died. It's celebrated between October 31 and November 2 and there are costumes, but no one says, trick-or-treat. There is candy, but this candy is shaped like coffins and skeletons. People picnic in cemeteries, go to parades, set off fireworks, and bake special breads and meals to remember friends and family members who have died.
I read this book to my own kids (elementary age) & we all enjoyed it. I thought it did a good job of explaining the Day of the Dead from an Indian perspective. Being Mexican American myself (mixed of Indian & European descent like most Mexicans) I think it's important to explain the origins of this holiday & I thought this book did a good job. It is a celebration of those who are gone & we still love & remember as well as life; death & life as a cycle. To the Mexican Indians this celebration mimics the same cycle of the seasons as well. Life ending (crops harvested, leaves fallen) Autumn/Winter & then life renewal (leaves & flowers reappearing) Spring/Summer. The colors are symbolic of this to the Mexican Indians as exhibited in the book (Orange Marigolds representing death & orange is the color of fall - pumpkins, leaves etc... & green leaves representing life & green renewal of spring - leaves of trees, grass, etc...)
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