Day of the Dead / Día de los Muertos Thread

[wuapinmon]

For the last four years, I've organized a Day of the Dead observance at the college where I teach. It is my favorite day of the school year, hands down. Back in April, a colleague and I decided to build an altar in honor of all the innocent little children who have died, motivated by a trailer fire that killed four little children, ages 5, 4, 2, and 1, because their mom left them alone while she went out.

We funded it through donations on Kickstarter.com, and we've been working on it since late August. We spent six hours working on it today, and we made a lot of good progress. Here are some recent photos.

https://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1380447_10100301082100879_1329326500_n.jpghttps://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1375899_10100301082105869_222637501_n.jpghttps://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/67955_10100301082604869_147798348_n.jpghttps://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1376598_10100301082854369_1732288014_n.jpghttps://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1385340_10100301083024029_526772180_n.jpghttps://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1376421_10100298537430419_561303439_n.jpghttps://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1380674_10100298537475329_2069006178_n.jpg

[LA Ute]

Impressive, wuap. Is there a structure in place yet? Or is the altar the beginning?

[wuapinmon]

Impressive, wuap. Is there a structure in place yet? Or is the altar the beginning?

The altar is mounted on a trailer, permanently. We got a trailer for about $225 at Harbor Freight, and that makes moving the 800 lbs altar much easier.

[wuapinmon]

https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1375252_10151643708745064_1419219045_n.jpg

[LA Ute]

https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1375252_10151643708745064_1419219045_n.jpg

Awesome. And beautiful.

[wuapinmon]

900

[LA Ute]

Who did the artwork (cutting the mosaic pieces, etc.)?

[wuapinmon]

About 10 of us, but the skeleton was done by a colleague in the art department. I did mostly black fill, some of the leaves, and a couple of the vines. The skull face was done by a student.

[LA Ute]

About 10 of us, but the skeleton was done by a colleague in the art department. I did mostly black fill, some of the leaves, and a couple of the vines. The skull face was done by a student.

I'm increasingly impressed as it continues to emerge.

[wuapinmon]

901
I'm increasingly impressed as it continues to emerge.

[GarthUte]

Nice work, wuap!

[Sullyute]

Wuap, I second all the comments above. Awesome project.

[wuapinmon]

This is through the roof cool. It appeals to mi sangre latina, to my sense of humanity, to the part of me that loved a liberal arts college, and to the Grateful Dead fan in me.

Wuap - una pregunta: I realized recently that my mission Spanish is 70% gone. I was one of the better, non-native speakers in my mission, and this loss pains me. I decided that I would start reading more in Spanish. I have read Cien Anos De Soledad, Dona Perfecta, y El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escribe, but I wonder if you can give me some recommendations?

I recommend that you start with cuentos & dramas. They are lighter reading, yet full of stuff that will rekindle what you used to know. Cien Anos de Soledad sounds like a bad porn movie. Cien Años de Soledad is one of the most wonderful things I've ever read.

Here's a list I'd suggest for you:

This one is free on Kindle, start here: http://www.amazon.com/Cuentos-Locura-Muerte-Spanish-ebook/dp/B004UIUGDY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382719423&sr=8-1&keywords=horacio+quiroga

Then go in order:
http://www.amazon.com/La-dama-del-alba-Casona/dp/8437604656/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382719187&sr=8-1&keywords=la+dama+del+alba
http://www.amazon.com/MANUEL-BUENO-m%C3%A1rtir-Spanish-ebook/dp/B005DZZ5O8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382719216&sr=8-1&keywords=san+manuel+bueno+martir
http://www.amazon.com/Doce-cuentos-peregrinos-Spanish-Edition/dp/1400034949/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382719252&sr=8-1&keywords=doce+cuentos+peregrinos (this one is dry, subtle, but excellent to think about what it's like to be Latin-American out of your own country, away in Europe, far from home. The last story, "El rastro de tu sangre en la nieve" is very sad and moving.


and once you've conquered those, move on to my master, Borges:
http://www.amazon.com/Borges-Ficciones-BCP-Spanish-Texts/dp/1853995908/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1382719272&sr=8-8&keywords=borges+ficciones

If you read all of those, come back to me, and I'll get you some more.

[LA Ute]

I've found that reading Spanish-language newspapers helps me keep my reading fluency polished up. It's the ear I have lost. I have a hard time following TV and radio broadcasts, for example, or movies without subtitles.

[wuapinmon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mQ_83OBjzQ&feature=youtu.be

[chrisrenrut]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mQ_83OBjzQ&feature=youtu.be

Very cool. I was wondering about the background and meaning of Dia de los Muertos. Your ceramic shrine is also quite awesome.

What was up with the Coca Cola product placement in the video? A play on the name of the college?

[wuapinmon]

Very cool. I was wondering about the background and meaning of Dia de los Muertos. Your ceramic shrine is also quite awesome.

What was up with the Coca Cola product placement in the video? A play on the name of the college?

LOL, no the Coke stuff is incidental. We always have a couple of hundred of them at the event. One of the trustees is president of the local Pepsi bottler, so we're a solidly Pepsi campus.

[hostile]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mQ_83OBjzQ&feature=youtu.be

Looks like a lot of fun, Wuap.

[wuapinmon]

https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1391948_10100308160056599_1992176231_n.jpg
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https://scontent-a-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1384316_10100308159916879_1062100409_n.jpg

[wuapinmon]

Making sugar skulls with students last night in my kitchen. Over 30 showed up!

https://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1381982_10100309110382139_532347411_n.jpg

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https://scontent-a-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1391699_10100309110606689_1475751501_n.jpg

I love this week so much.

[wuapinmon]

Here's something for you to consider. I require every student to make an altar. I offer an alternative assignment if someone has a legitimate religious objection to the assignment. I had one student ask me what the alternative assignment was, I told her (7-8 page research paper on the Day of the Dead), and she said she'd just make an altar.

Today, she asks me if she can put sparkling grape juice out as a symbol of Communion because she's making an altar for Jesus Christ.

I gently emailed her back that he is the one person for whom you can't make an altar, because he is risen, and in a religious sense, making one for him denies his resurrection. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. The world is a marvelous place with endless surprises.

[LA Ute]

Here's something for you to consider. I require every student to make an altar. I offer an alternative assignment if someone has a legitimate religious objection to the assignment. I had one student ask me what the alternative assignment was, I told her (7-8 page research paper on the Day of the Dead), and she said she'd just make an altar.

Today, she asks me if she can put sparkling grape juice out as a symbol of Communion because she's making an altar for Jesus Christ.

I gently emailed her back that he is the one person for whom you can't make an altar, because he is risen, and in a religious sense, making one for him denies his resurrection. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. The world is a marvelous place with endless surprises.

She seems to feel uncomfortable (probably misguidedly so) with the nature of the assignment. Maybe you can help her reconcile her personal religious feelings with the altar project.

[Diehard Ute]

Here's something for you to consider. I require every student to make an altar. I offer an alternative assignment if someone has a legitimate religious objection to the assignment. I had one student ask me what the alternative assignment was, I told her (7-8 page research paper on the Day of the Dead), and she said she'd just make an altar.

Today, she asks me if she can put sparkling grape juice out as a symbol of Communion because she's making an altar for Jesus Christ.

I gently emailed her back that he is the one person for whom you can't make an altar, because he is risen, and in a religious sense, making one for him denies his resurrection. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. The world is a marvelous place with endless surprises.

Before I say anything else I guess I should find out what this assignment is for...

[wuapinmon]

She seems to feel uncomfortable (probably misguidedly so) with the nature of the assignment. Maybe you can help her reconcile her personal religious feelings with the altar project.

Well, I've dedicated a good portion of two class periods, taking pains to note that the altar is a cultural project, and our celebration is not imbued with any kind of religious underpinnings any more so than Halloween or Mardi Gras are. The altar is merely an agglomeration of things arranged in a way that's meaningful to you about someone you've lost. This has been mentioned several times, but we're in the South, and anything that resembles Catholicism is tainted. I won't penalize her for making one for Jesus Christ, but it will be more out of place than a Brahma bull in the Preakness.

[LA Ute]

Well, I've dedicated a good portion of two class periods, taking pains to note that the altar is a cultural project, and our celebration is not imbued with any kind of religious underpinnings any more so than Halloween or Mardi Gras are. The altar is merely an agglomeration of things arranged in a way that's meaningful to you about someone you've lost. This has been mentioned several times, but we're in the South, and anything that resembles Catholicism is tainted. I won't penalize her for making one for Jesus Christ, but it will be more out of place than a Brahma bull in the Preakness.

I say let her Christianize it her own way. Hasn't the DDLM altar concept evolved over the centuries anyway? Give her extra credit for adding yet another cultural layer. ;)

[wuapinmon]

Before I say anything else I guess I should find out what this assignment is for...

The pedagogical reasons are many. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages recommends using the Five C's (http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/StandardsforFLLexecsumm_rev.pdf) (communication, culture, communities, comparisons, connections) as guidelines for developing a curriculum in a foreign language classroom. Since we're teaching a skill (instead of content), and that skill is a complex code that has cultural devices (in the mnemonic sense), using culture is an excellent way to increase vocabulary, understand communities, and make comparisons between the two. With those aims in mind, I make my students create a Day of the Dead altar. Here's the rubric.



Grading Rubric for Day of the Dead Altar Nombre____________________________ Puntos ________50



Creativity _______________points
10= Project demonstrates substantial investment of thought and time to represent the person honored
8 = Project demonstrates adequate investment of thought and time to represent the person honored
6= Project shows a minimal investment of thought and time to represent the person honored
3 = Project seems hastily constructed, lacking in originality and does not demonstrate anything about the person honored beyond their name and photo.

On Time _______________points
Project was completed in time to be presented to the class = 10 points
Project was not completed in time to be presented to the class = 0 points

Presentation _______________points
10= a presentation and explanation of the altar was made in class (or privately to Don Mac if the person feels too emotional to do so in front of their classmates)
0= a presentation was not made in class.

Neatness ___________________ points
10 = A neat and stable altar
8 = A mostly neat and completely stable altar
6= An unorganized, messy, or unstable altar
3= An unorganized, messy, and unstable altar

Components _______________points
10= Contains all of the following: the name of the deceased; objects, images, or drawings meant to signify things that were important to the person honored; and, is brightly colored so that illumination by candlelight makes the altar easy to see and understand.
7 = Contains two of the following: the name of the deceased; objects, images, or drawings meant to signify things that were important to the person honored; and, is brightly colored so that illumination by candlelight makes the altar easy to see and understand.
4= Contains one of the following: the name of the deceased; objects, images, or drawings meant to signify things that were important to the person honored; and, is brightly colored so that illumination by candlelight makes the altar easy to see and understand.
0= Contains none of the following: the name of the deceased; objects, images, or drawings meant to signify things that were important to the person honored; and, is brightly colored so that illumination by candlelight makes the altar easy to see and understand.

[wuapinmon]

I say let her Christianize it her own way. Hasn't the DDLM altar concept evolved over the centuries anyway? Give her extra credit for adding yet another cultural layer. ;)

But He's not dead. Should I make one for you?

[Diehard Ute]

But He's not dead. Should I make one for you?

You don't think he's dead. But you're bringing your beliefs into your class

Others do believe he's dead.

Still others don't believe he ever existed

[LA Ute]

But He's not dead. Should I make one for you?

Details, details! Maybe she can make her altar a shrine to death, which itself has died (or will die) because of Christ. Come on, you're a Humanities professor. Are you going to go all literal on us?

[wuapinmon]

You don't think he's dead. But you're bringing your beliefs into your class

Others do believe he's dead.

Still others don't believe he ever existed


Details, details! Maybe she can make her altar a shrine to death, which itself has died (or will die) because of Christ. Come on, you're a Humanities professor. Are you going to go all literal on us?

She's telling me she wants to do it for religious reasons though. I'm trying to point out how her altar would contradict both HER beliefs AND the traditions of the holiday. I did send her a followup email clarifying that there would be no penalty for choosing Jesus, but I would advise against it for the reasons I explained, gently and carefully, in my first email about it.


And, there is a cult to Santa Muerte, and I don't think I want it at my event. It's the patron saint of narcotraficantes and it's evil. No, gracias.

[wuapinmon]

I spoke with her in person today, and there was a complete attitude change. She said she realized that I was right about how the altar would square with her beliefs. She was happy and said she was going to do one for an aunt who passed. I got the feeling that my talking about the Savior with her like that made her feel more at ease with me and with the event.

[LA Ute]

I spoke with her in person today, and there was a complete attitude change. She said she realized that I was right about how the altar would square with her beliefs. She was happy and said she was going to do one for an aunt who passed. I got the feeling that my talking about the Savior with her like that made her feel more at ease with me and with the event.

Well played, Don Mac.

[wuapinmon]

Well played, Don Mac.

Gracias. Acaban de decirme por email que mañana vienen dos canales de la tele y un periodista para entrevistarnos sobre el altar y el evento. Me dijeron que tenía que llevar "ropa apropiada." Les dije, verbatim, "Please define dressed appropriately. I wear a guayabera every day because that's what men wear in Latin America. It's the official dress uniform of the Cuban government, for example. I can wear a pretty orange-colored guayabera like I have on in the video Seth made, but a shirt and tie just to be on TV is not who I am nor what this event is all about. "

Me dijeron que la guayabera es buena. Pura vida.

[Viking]

But He's not dead. Should I make one for you?

How about this: I build an altar to commemorate the moment when I realized I didn't really believe in Christ and thus to me, and at that point in time, he died. As I don't believe in his divinity, his resurrection would fall outside the realm of probability in my belief system. Thus, an altar would be perfectly appropriate as homage to the moment in which he figuratively "died" to me.

[Viking]

(this is a hypothetical...for the record, I do not disbelieve in Christ...I simply do not know him. I'd like to believe in him but find it very difficult)

[wuapinmon]

How about this: I build an altar to commemorate the moment when I realized I didn't really believe in Christ and thus to me, and at that point in time, he died. As I don't believe in his divinity, his resurrection would fall outside the realm of probability in my belief system. Thus, an altar would be perfectly appropriate as homage to the moment in which he figuratively "died" to me.

Sure, a metaphysical altar would be interesting. Maybe a cross out of green wood.

[Viking]

Sure, a metaphysical altar would be interesting. Maybe a cross out of green wood.

Lined with mustard seeds around the periphery, representing the hope of resurrected belief.

[OrangeUte]

Very cool thread and the event sounds awesome wuap. I hope you will share some photos of the students' altars and a recap of the day's happenings. The story of the female student is terrific on many levels.

[wuapinmon]

Very cool thread and the event sounds awesome wuap. I hope you will share some photos of the students' altars and a recap of the day's happenings. The story of the female student is terrific on many levels.

Thanks. We got interviewed this morning about the project, and they're going to come back and film the event too.

I feel not unlike Maus, feeling bad because a tragedy brought attention to something I do.

[wuapinmon]

http://www.wbtw.com/story/23847724/coker

We're getting some buzz. I love this event so much. It's up there with Christmas Eve.

[LA Ute]

http://www.wbtw.com/story/23847724/coker

We're getting some buzz. I love this event so much. It's up there with Christmas Eve.

Very cool.

[wuapinmon]

This is the best write-up yet about the event.

http://www.scnow.com/messenger/news/article_f647674a-426b-11e3-91d7-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=jqm

[LA Ute]

It's a real tribute to you and your passion for this event that it has become so successful. Bien hecho.

[wuapinmon]

https://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1441203_10100314350500899_283838606_n.jpg

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The entire family of the four little kids who died were there, including the father, and the under-indictment mother.

https://scontent-a-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1450873_10100314351878139_727901265_n.jpg

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[wuapinmon]

Last night's news coverage, or the greatest day in my son's life.

http://www.wbtw.com/story/23861651/coker-students-remember-loved-ones-and-children-from-hartsville-fire-during-day-of-the-dead-ceremony

[Viking]

Last night's news coverage, or the greatest day in my son's life.

http://www.wbtw.com/story/23861651/coker-students-remember-loved-ones-and-children-from-hartsville-fire-during-day-of-the-dead-ceremony

Way to go. You really created an important experience for who I presume were the family members of some of the kids who were killed.

There's no greater good that comforting those who have experience the most extreme loss of all. You're a good man, Mac.

[OrangeUte]

Just spend some time reading about your weekend Wuap. I'll chime with another job well done that went beyond the walls of your classroom and into your community and campus. Very cool!

[wuapinmon]

Thanks, everyone. It's very satisfying to help others cope with grief.