The 1st and 2nd of November saw us celebrate the Mexican festival of Día de los Muertos.
Not to be confused with Halloween, the festival commemorates and celebrates loved ones who have passed away and takes place over a period of two days.
The 2nd of November is also the Christian festival of All Souls' day, another day of remembrance for the faithful departed where families come together to pray for those who are no longer with us.
During a week of events to mark Díade los Muertos, students took part in a range of activities.
A huge hit last year, sugar biscuit decorating kicked off our Día de los muertos events.
Traditionally, people create and decorate sugar skulls on Day of the Dead, known as
calaveras de azúcar. Sacred Heart students tried their hand and decorating intricate sugar
skull biscuits with edible paint and sprinkles during a lunchtime workshop with Mrs Robertson. The standard of decorating blew us away! There are some incredibly talented artists in our school!
Cempasúchil Conmemorativo
At the heart of the festival of Día de los Muertos is the idea of remembering loved ones who have passed away.
With this in mind, students were encouraged to write the name of a loved one no longer with them on a paper marigold petal which would form part of our Cempasúchil Conmemorativo (commemorative marigold).
Marigolds are a traditional flower used throughout the celebration of Día de los Muertos. They are thought to attract the souls of the deceased and guide them back to their loved ones. Families will often scatter marigold petals forming a path from their front doors to the
ofrenda waiting within the home.
Paper Skull Decorating
Students also took part in a paper skull decorating workshop where they made their own 3D paper skull. Skulls are a widely recognised symbol of Día de los muertos and they are often intricately decorated with flowers and colourful patterns.
The skulls created in during the workshop will soon be on display in the MFL corridor! Keep and eye out for our paper (skull) chain, made by linking all the 3D skulls together!
