Día de los Muertos

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican Holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. Major celebrations are held each year in Mesa, Chandler, Guadalupe and at Arizona State University.  To celebrate Día de los Muertos people don wooden skull masks called calacas or paint their faces and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are also placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead. Sugar skulls, made with the names of the dead person on the forehead, are eaten by a relative or friend.

People also visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate grave sites with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to grave sites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.

Some families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead. They surround these altars with flowers, food and pictures of the deceased. They light candles and place them next to the altar.

Crafts you can do for the Day of the Dead

Skeleton Craft (Crack of Dawn Crafts)

Calavera Masks (Unseasonably Warm)

Calacas Masks (Graham Smith Illustration Blog)

If you want to make your own sugar sculls try this recipe from MexicanSugarScull.com or for an easier to do at home version try making a batch of scull shaped sugar cookies with royal icing.