Dia de los Muertos

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and the Mexican community living in the United States and Canada,

with variations of it also observed in other Latin American countries and other parts of the world. The Mexican celebration occurs on November 1 and November 2. At CSIHSIS,thanks to Ms. Garcia and the students in her Spanish classes, we celebrated Day of the Dead on November 2nd.


Though the subject matter may be considered morbid from the perspective of some other cultures, celebrants typically approach the Day of the Dead joyfully. Day of the Dead emphasizes celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased. Revelers of the Day of the Dead celebrate the continuation of life — believing not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life. Joined by faculty, staff, and their parents, CSIHSIS students celebrated Day of the Dead complete with an ofrendo they made honoring the lives of those who perished during the 9/11 attacks as well as their own ancestors. Each participant in the celebration also buried a bad habit! The fiesta was complete with a room that was beautifully decorated with traditional Day of the Dead decorations made by our students and traditional Mexican food including Day of the Dead bread, quesadillas, spicy chicken, guacamole and chips, Mexican guava and raspberry filled pastries, rice and beans, fried bananas, and more!!!! Students, teachers and parents enjoyed food, traditional Mexican music and dancing.
We would like to thank all of the parents who helped make this fiesta complete by bringing in food and by coming in to participate with their children in this celebration. Your participation illustrates the strong partnership that exists between parents, staff and students who are members of our CSIHSIS community.

I would also like to thank Elissa Garcia (and her mom) for immersing our students in this cultural experience while making it relevant to their own lives! I know that through this experience our students not only learned Spanish language, but learned about and experienced Mexican culture while being able to express their feelings about loved ones they have lost! Thanks again Ms. Garcia for a meaningful learning experience and a great celebration!!!!!