Halloween and the Day of the Dead

Lady Luna · Oct 23, 2011

This is a cute piece from The New Yorker that I really enjoyed:

Hi, everyone!

The Mountain Room is gearing up for its Day of the Dead celebration on Friday. Please send in photos of loved ones for our altar. All parents are welcome to come by on Wednesday afternoon to help us make candles and decorate skulls.

Thanks!

Emily

Hi again.

Because Ive gotten some questions about my last e-mail, there is nothing wrong with Halloween. The Day of the Dead is the Mexican version, a time of remembrance. Many of you chose Little Learners because of our emphasis on global awareness. Our celebration on Friday is an example of that. The skulls were decorating are sugar skulls. I should have made that more clear.

Emily

Parents:

Some of you have expressed concern about your children celebrating a holiday with the word dead in it. I asked Eleanors mom, whos a pediatrician, and heres what she said: Preschoolers tend to see death as temporary and reversible. Therefore, I see nothing traumatic about the Day of the Dead. I hope this helps.

Emily

Dear Parents:

In response to the e-mail we all received from Maddies parents, in which they shared their decision to raise their daughter dogma-free, yes, there will be an altar, but please be assured that the Day of the Dead is a pagan celebration of life and has nothing to do with God. Keep those photos coming!

Emily

Hello.

Perhaps pagan was a poor word choice. I feel like were veering a bit off track, so heres what Ill do. Ill start setting up our altar now, so that today at pickup you can see for yourselves how colorful and harmless the Day of the Dead truly is.

Emily

Parents:

The photos should be of loved ones who have passed. Maxs grandma was understandably shaken when she came in and saw a photo of herself on our altar. But the candles and skulls were cute, right?

Emily

Mountain Room Parents:

Its late and I cant possibly respond to each and every e-mail. (Not that it comes up a lot in conversation, but I have children, too.) As the skulls have clearly become a distraction, I decided to throw them away. Theyre in the compost. Im looking at them now. You can, too, tomorrow at drop-off. I just placed a NO BASURA card on the bin to make sure it doesnt get emptied. Finally, to those parents who are offended by our Day of the Dead celebration, Id like to point out that there are parents who are offended that you are offended.

Emily

Dear Parents:

Thanks to their group e-mail, we now know that the families of Millie and Jaden M. recognize Jesus Christ as their Saviour. There still seems to be some confusion about why, if we want to celebrate life, were actually celebrating death. To better explain this bewildering detour, Ive asked Adela, who works in the office and makes waffles for us on Wednesdays, and who was born in Mexico, to write you directly.

Emily

El Día de los Muertos begins with a parade through the zócalo, where we toss oranges into decorated coffins. The skeletons drive us in the bus to the cemetery and we molest the spirits from under the ground with candy and traditional Mexican music. We write poems called calaveras, which laugh at the living. In Mexico, it is a rejoicing time of ofrendas, picnics, and dancing on graves.

Adela

Parents:

I sincerely apologize for Adelas e-mail. I would have looked it over, but I was at my daughters piano recital. (Three kids, in case youre wondering, one whos allergic to everything, even wind.) For now, lets agree that e-mail has reached its limits. How about we process our feelings face to face? 9 A.M. tomorrow?

Emily

Dear Parents:

Some of you chose to engage in our dialogue. Some chose to form a human chain. Others had jobs (!) to go to. So were all up to speed, let me recap this mornings discussion:

Satan isnt driving our bus. Little Learners does not have a bus. If we did, I wouldnt still need parent drivers for the field trip to the cider mill. Anyone? I didnt think so.

Ofrenda means offering. Its just a thing we put on the altar. Any random thing. A bottle of Fanta. Unopened, not poisoned. Just a bottle of Fanta.

Were moving past the word altar and calling it what it really is: a Seahawks blanket draped over some cinder blocks.

Adela will not be preparing food anymore and Waffle Wednesdays will be suspended. (That didnt make us any new friends in the Rainbow and Sunshine Rooms!)

On Friday morning, I will divide the Mountain Room into three groups: those who wish to celebrate the Day of the Dead; those who wish to celebrate Halloween; and Maddie, who will make nondenominational potato prints in the corner.

Dear Mountain Room Parents:

Today I learned not to have open flames in the same room as a costume parade. I learned that a five-dollar belly-dancer outfit purchased at a pop-up costume store can easily catch fire, but, really, I knew that just by looking at it. I learned that Fanta is effective in putting out fires. I learned that a childs emerging completely unscathed from a burning costume isnt a good enough outcome for some parents. I learned that I will be unemployed on Monday. For me, the Day of the Dead will always be a time of remembrance.
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2011/10/24/111024sh_shouts_semple
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Halloween and the Day of the Dead

Lady Luna New Member

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