We have been observing Dia De Los Muertos every year with the kids. There are so many activities, events, displays for the girls to experience both in L.A and in San Diego and I love it. I didn’t grow up knowing about Dia De Los Muertos so it’s a beautiful thing to see this Mexican celebration be part of my kids’ life. Their grandma puts an altar together every year and we made the process into a family activity because Dia De Los Muertos is a family celebration, after-all.
The CASAGRANDES gifted us a kit that included Dia De Los Muertos candles, a sugar skull, picture frames, and acrylic paint and brushes so that the girls could make their very own ofrenda. Ji loves any activity where she can get creative and Dahlia loves to paint, so this was a great way to get their right-brain going.
Now that the girls’ masterpieces were complete, they were excited to put their altar together but they needed to wait until their Day of The Dead picture frames and sugar skulls dried. The next day, grandma gathered our ancestor’s favorite fruits, drinks, and bread. An altar is not complete without ofrendas.
Tonight, after-trick or treating, the kids will add more of their ancestor’s pictures to the altar and complete all three of the levels. The top-level symbolizes heaven, the middle level signifies earth and the lower level signifies the underworld of the dead. There’s a lot of information and different Day of The Dead customs but because the girls are still so young, I simplify it by explaining to them that Dia De Los Muertos is a very special day. It’s a day in which we welcome back the memory of our family members who are no longer present but who we love and hold dear in our hearts.
About The CASAGRANDES:
John Smith
These are wonderful traditions for children and families. Brings the right attitude to our ancestors and does it in a creative way.