Dia de los Muertos with STC
•Posted on October 26 2020
Hi all - I wanted to share a little bit about Day of the Dead which is celebrated on November 2nd; this is a Mexican tradition of indigenous origin in which the living remember and honor their loved ones that are no longer here.
Growing up in Tijuana (Mexico) this was an activity that was always done at school, we were all asked to take a picture and an object to share on an altar that we got to do along with our classmates and teachers, this is a tradition that I have decided I want to share with my son and my husband so we have been doing it yearly since we had Greyson; it is meaningful and also a way to celebrate love and family.
Setting up an Altar to the departed is a very important component of Day of the Dead celebration; this is where we share a collection of objects and food that is intended to welcome the departed that day.
There is several components to an Altar like water, candles, sugar skulls, Marigold’s, izcuintles (prehispánic dogs), flowers, drinks, salt, papel picado, food and pictures of the loved ones we are remembering.
Below I’ll go over some of them and what we place in our Altar
Water: This is to help with the thirst our loved ones have after their journey coming back to visit us. (I also have a beer for one of my uncles)
Food: this represents the earth element, the tradition is to leave food items that the departed enjoyed in life, I usually place candy as well that my dad, grandmother and uncles enjoyed.
“Pan de Muerto”: this is a bread which it’s circular shape refers to the cycle of life and death through which each human being passes, at the center of the bread the "ball" symbolizes the skull of the deceased, the cross strips represent the bones with which we are formed and also they refer to the tears of the deceased.
Calaveras: represents that death is always present, that inevitable passage from the earthly to the mystical
Salt: it is believed to be an element of purification.
Pictures of the departed that we are remembering and honoring.
Candles: the flame of the candle serves as a guide so the souls can reach their old homes.
Marigold’s: it’s bright color represents the sun and also its smell guides the soul of the deceased.
We are incorporating a few of our favorite STC items to our Altar and celebrations, here’s my list:
•Some good ole taffy which my grandma loved, if you are like me and can’t get enough remember you can add some extra bags of taffy for $2.00 each bag.
•Re-Play to keep a few cups of water; some details about RePlay: Made from recycled FDA approved polypropylene. Deep walls help keep food on your plate
BPA, PVC, phthalates and surface coatings free. Made in the USA
•Ooly - we are doing crafts all month long to keep Greyson entertained and this is a brand that has grown on us since we discovered at STC, love the variety of products and all the options to let little ones imagination flow!
•Books - STC offers a great selection of books; reading time creates special bonding time and helps to expand our children’s vocabulary.
Kickee Pants - we are a Kickee loving family, I didn’t discover KP until Greyson was 3/4 months but it’s been love ever since; aside from it’s buttery softness it has brought me to such a wonderful community of mamas and have made what I am sure are lifelong friends. STC currently has Halloween in stock (everyone needs a Candy Corn set!) but also has a wide variety of previous lines and also keep an eye out for holiday Items dropping soonish !
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it, let us know how you celebrate Day of the Dead or if you would like to know more !
Love,
America & Greyson