Spanish Dia de los Muertos Celebration

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On Monday, the Spanish department at John McGlashan College celebrated the Central American Dia de los Muertos; Day of the Dead (which is celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November).

This celebration is meant as a way to honour those who have passed and to remind ourselves that death is a natural part of life, this Mexican celebration combines elements of multiple cultures, including the indigenous Aztec and Mayan cultures, as well as Spanish conquistador cultures. Adorning skeleton face paint and ofrendas (altars) containing candles, sugar skulls, Pan de muerto (bread of the dead, a type of Mexican sweet bread), the food which the deceased would have liked and an abundance of marigold flowers, this Mexican celebration is grand and was recognised by UNESCO in 2008 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

While we are a bit away from Mexico, we were able to host our own smaller celebration, albeit sadly with less dancing, music, and no marigold flowers. Nonetheless, students were able to learn and immerse themselves in the Latin culture.

Amongst the festivities, students had the options of different artistic opportunities and a quiz prepared by the Year 12 Spanish students. One of the most popular attractions for students was creating Papel picado or punctured paper skulls, which involved many students immersing themselves in the culture whilst enjoying arts and crafts. Students also had the opportunity to partake in colouring-in sheets, where students were encouraged to colour and draw on Latin-designed sheets. Even all the German students were immersed in these activities!

After students were exposed to the rich and unique culture, students got to participate in teams in a quiz about the celebratory tradition. With a special prize involved for the winning team, it is safe to say that students learned a lot about the tradition and its values, and were focused with their eyes on the prize. We would also like to formally apologise to whichever teachers had the winning students in the following period, as they were set to have a sugar rush with their large winnings of candy from the quiz.

Even though Central America is 11,398 kilometres away from Dunedin, we were thankfully able to exhibit its rich and valuable tradition of honouring those who have passed away, both within our friends, families, and school. With the number of Spanish students increasing each year, we hope to spread the beauty of Spanish and Latin culture to all with an open mind.

All in all, the day was terrific, with students of all years being able to learn and understand the international cultures of the world, allowing them to gain an opportunity to become open-minded and understand how different cultures celebrate different celebrations. 

We would like to thank Ms Navarro for her invaluable support, time and effort in making this opportunity possible. Without you, these students wouldn’t have been able to learn about the traditions and values of Latin cultures, and your delight in sharing your knowledge and culture with the college.

Note from the teacher: I was impressed with how the Year 12IB students organised the quiz questions and conducted the activity and competition for the junior students. Excellent leadership and organisational skills, well done!