Day of the Dead is almost here! Yay! It is one of the most important Mexican traditions and commemorations. It’s full of colors, food, and meaning. That’s why it’s also very beautiful, interesting and emotional.
You shouldn’t waste the opportunity to celebrate this day with your kids. We strongly believe they’ll love it – and you will too. If you do it, you should speak Spanish and encourage your kids to do the same; it will get you all more immersed in the celebration. After all, it’s a Mexican tradition.
To help you out, we’ve gathered this Day of the Dead guide with history and vocabulary to celebrate in Spanish.
Background and History of the Day of the Dead
In the pre-Hispanic era it was common to wrap the dead bodies in a “petate”. “Petate” is a type of rug that is created with the fibers of the palma leaf. Then, the loved ones of that deceased person would celebrate with a party to guide the spirit to the “Mictlán”.
“Mictlán” is a very important word for the Day of the Dead. It was believed to be the underworld and one of the places where the dead would go to rest for all eternity. It was ruled by Mictecacihuatl (lady of the dead) and Miclantecuhtl.
Then, the Spanish conquerors came and along with them came their religious beliefs. Catholics believe that November 1st is the day of “Todos los santos” (all the saints), which consists of honoring all of the saints.
While November 2nd is the day of the “Fieles Difuntos” (faithful dead). This day is to remember and pray for the dead that are still in the purgatory and, therefore, haven’t reached God. The mix of these two perspectives and historical celebrations is what forged the path for what we know today as the Day of the Dead.
What Is the Day of the Dead?
The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition to honor and remember those who have passed away. Mexicans are very proud of it.
They believe that their loved ones who have died return to the world of the living every Day of the Dead. This way the souls see their families again and eat the essence of the food that they have put on the altars for them. That’s why Mexicans always leave food that their deceased loved ones used to love when they were alive.
November 1st and 2nd are the main days to celebrate this tradition. But over the years, other dates have been added to this celebration. It’s all based on when the dead come to visit us. So, what are all the dates to celebrate this?
- October 27th: It’s the day when our pets come to visit us.
- October 28th: It’s the day dedicated to those who died tragically.
- October 29th: It’s the day dedicated to those who drowned.
- October 30th: It’s dedicated to the dead that have been forgotten by their families.
- October 31st: It’s for the kids that died without having been baptized.
- November 1st: It’s the day when the kids come to the world of the living.
- November 2nd: It’s the day dedicated to adults.
How to Celebrate the Day of the Dead?
You may have heard of many different things people do to celebrate the Day of the Dead. Well, here are the main things Mexicans do to honor this tradition that you and your kids must see at least once:
Decorate the graves of their loved ones
Many go to the cemeteries and decorate the graves of their loved ones. They put marigold flowers, candles and things they loved when they were alive.
Day of the Dead parade
If you’re a fan of this tradition, you may have seen pictures of the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. In it, many people go with their faces painted as “catrinas” (lady skulls); some of them even dance. You’ll also see huge “catrinas” and “catrines”, as well as vehicles decorated accordingly.
It’s a huge celebration and people love it. But did you know that it didn’t exist until 2016? Yes, it’s quite recent.
The most shocking part about it is that it was born after the “James Bond: Spectre” movie came out in 2015. And it had a scene of a Day of the Dead parade! The government liked it so much that they decided to implement the parade every year.
Altar
They put an altar or “ofrenda” in each house. There are also “ofrendas” in big squares or places like restaurants, so you can visit them and take pictures.
The main thing an “altar de muertos” has is:
- Marigold flowers (“cempasuchil” flowers)
- A copal
- Bread of the dead (traditional of Mexico)
- Candles
- Sugar skulls
- Chocolate skulls
- Photos of your dead ones
- Tissue paper with different shapes.
Why Should I Celebrate the Day of the Dead with My Kids?
There are some awesome benefits and reasons to celebrate the Day of the Dead with your kids and teach them about it. Here are some:
Spanish Learning
If your kids are already learning Spanish, this will be a great way for them to practice their knowledge. It doesn’t matter if they’re basic, intermediate or advanced learners. They can try to practice according to their level. And they can learn even more Spanish through this tradition. So it’s a great opportunity for improvement.
If they still don’t speak Spanish, but you want them to, this is a fascinating way to introduce them to the language. It’s a compelling, colorful, exciting, and emotional day. It has many characteristics kids like. All of this makes it more probable for them to be left wanting to learn more Spanish. Remember: Children love learning in fun, unique and interesting ways.
Learning about Mexican Culture
Language and culture go hand in hand. If you’re learning a new language, it’s also good for you to learn about its culture. Spanish is spoken in many different countries, one of them is Mexico. So you can learn about many different cultures.
Celebrating the Day of the Dead will allow your kid to learn more about this tradition and to actually remember what it is about. Because they’ll be immersed in it. It’s less likely to forget something awesome you’ve experienced.
And knowing about the Day of the Dead means knowing a highly important part of Mexican culture.
Have a new way of remembering your loved ones
Learning and experiencing a new tradition from a culture that’s not your own can be very rewarding. You may be so mesmerized by it that you want to implement it into your own life. This is something many people have lived with the Day of the Dead.
If you start to celebrate this tradition, you’ll have a new way of remembering your loved ones. Which can be very fulfilling to you. We always want to remember and honor in beautiful ways the people that we love but have passed away.
This means, you’ll also have a new perspective on life and death.
Spanish Words for the Day of the Dead
There are some specific words related to the Day of the Dead that everyone uses when the date is coming up. Here are some of those Spanish words your kids must know to celebrate it:
- Day of the Dead – Día de Muertos
- Dead – Muertos
- Death – Muerte
- Tradition – Tradición
- Tribute – Tributo
- Bread of the dead – Pan de muerto
- Marigolds / Cempasuchil flowers – Flores de cempasúchil
- Candles – Velas
- Altar / Altar of the dead – Altar / Ofrenda / Altar de muertos
- Skeleton lady – Catrina
- Skeleton man – Catrin
- Grave – Tumba
- Copal – Copal
- Cemetery – Cementerio / Panteón
- Little sugar skull – Calaverita de azúcar
- Little chocolate skull – Calaverita de chocolate
- Fruit – Fruta
- Glass of water – Vaso de agua
- Cross – Cruz
- Photos – Fotos
- Tissue paper with shapes – Papel picado
- Skeleton – Esqueleto
- Arc – Arco
- Spirits – Espíritus
- Souls – Almas / Ánimas
- Orange – Naranja
- Literary skull – Calaverita literaria
- Parade – Desfile
- October – Octubre
- November – Noviembre
- World of the living – Mundo de los vivos
Spanish Questions for the Day of the Dead
If you want your kids to start speaking in Spanish, asking them questions is a great idea! They’ll see you’re asking in Spanish and will probably feel more motivated to answer in Spanish. This will probably also lead to a Spanish conversation, which would be great practice.
The Day of the Dead is a great occasion to ask questions. They’ll be learning and enjoying a tradition of a Spanish-speaking culture, so they might feel super motivated to answer the questions.
- Why is the Day of the Dead your favorite tradition? / ¿Por qué el Día de Muertos es tu tradición favorita?
- What do you like the most about the Day of the Dead? / ¿Qué es lo que más te gusta del Día de Muertos?
- Is the Day of the Dead your favorite tradition? / ¿El Día de Muertos es tu tradición favorita?
- Did you like the bread of the dead? / ¿Te gustó el pan de muerto?
- Who do you want to put on the altar of the dead? I’m going to print the photos today. / ¿A quién quieres poner en el altar de muertos? Voy a imprimir las fotos hoy.
- When is the Day of the Dead celebrated? / ¿Cuándo se celebra el Día de Muertos?
- What do you want to put on the altar? / ¿Qué quieres poner en el altar?
- Tell me, what is Day of the Dead? / Dime, ¿qué es el Día de Muertos?
- Do you know what is the Mictlán? / ¿Sabes qué es el Mictlán?
- I heard you’re learning about the Day of the Dead in school. That’s so cool! What have you learned? / Escuché que estás aprendiendo sobre el Día de Muertos en la escuela. ¡Qué padre! ¿Qué has aprendido?
- What kind of food do you want to put on the altar? / ¿Qué clase de comida quieres poner en la ofrenda?
- Do you know what would be cool? If you told me a literary skull! / ¿Sabes qué sería genial? ¡Si me dijeras una calaverita literaria!
If your children still have trouble answering in their second language, click here for some tips to encourage your kids to respond in Spanish.
Spanish Phrases for the Day of the Dead
If you want to celebrate this special occasion your kids will need to know a few Spanish phrases and questions. These will allow them to engage in conversations about it, learn more about this tradition, and practice their Spanish skills.
That’s why we leave you here with some questions and phrases in Spanish for kids to celebrate the Day of the Dead:
- My favorite tradition is the Day of the Dead. / Mi tradición favorita es el Día de Muertos.
- I love Mexican traditions! / ¡Amo las tradiciones Mexicanas!
- What are we going to put on our altar? / ¿Qué vamos a poner en nuestro altar?
- Wow! There are many cempasuchil flowers in that altar! / ¡Wow! ¡Hay muchas flores de cempasúchil en ese altar!
- Mom, guess what? We’re going to put an altar of the dead in the school! / Mamá, ¿adivina qué? ¡Vamos a poner un altar de Muertos en la escuela!
- Dad, would you help me print photos of my grandpa to put on the altar? / Papá, ¿me ayudas a imprimir fotos de mi abuelito para poner en el altar?
- What I like the most about the Day of the Dead is eating bread of the dead. / Lo que más me gusta del Día de Muertos es comer pan de muerto.
- Can I eat the little sugar skulls when the Day of the Dead has passed? / ¿Puedo comerme las calaveritas de azúcar cuando haya pasado el Día de Muertos?
- Grandma, I wrote a literary skull in today’s class; do you want to hear it? / Abuelita, escribí una calaverita literaria en la clase de hoy, ¿quieres escucharla?
- Can we watch “Coco” to celebrate the Day of the Dead? / ¿Podemos ver “Coco” para celebrar el Día de Muertos?
- After school, we’re going to watch “Coco” at my house, do you want to come? / Después de la escuela vamos a ver “Coco” en mi casa, ¿quieres venir?
- Gigi invited me to her house to eat bread of the dead, can I go? Please, yeees? / Gigi me invitó a su casa a comer pan de muerto, ¿puedo ir? Por favor, ¿síiii?
Tips to Practice Spanish Vocabulary for the Day of the Dead with Your Kids
Create your very own “altar de muertos”
Some foreign people love the Day of the Dead and what it represents so much that they want to put up their own altars. But they don’t if it’s okay. They don’t want to offend Mexicans. They think it could be cultural appropriation.
The truth is, Mexicans love sharing their traditions, especially such a special one like “Día de Muertos”. They know it could be helpful for anyone to honor their dead with an “ofrenda”.
So, go and create your altar. It’s a great and emotional activity for both adults and kids. You all will love it!
We recommend you speak Spanish using the words above while creating your altar. So your kids learn more vocabulary, reinforce their Day of the Dead in Spanish knowledge and get fully immersed in the tradition.
Eat “pan de muerto”
This is a classic of the Day of the Dead season. The minute October starts, many Mexicans start looking for “pan de muerto”. They’re sold in many places, in restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and supermarkets.
Eating this bread during this season is a must for you and your kids. You can all sit down at the table and speak in Spanish about this tradition. You can also say if you liked the bread and why. Encourage your kids to do the same; you can ask them questions.
If you’re in Mexico, you can even go to different restaurants, cafeterias and supermarkets to try different breads. And see which one you like the most. Speak in Spanish with your kids the whole time. Ask things like: “¿Qué pan de muerto te gusto más?” (Which bread of the dead did you like the most?)
Create your own “Day of the Dead” lotería!
The “lotería” is a classic Mexican game that involves pictures and saying words out loud (great for speaking!). We even have a blog showing you how to make your own lotería along with your kids. You can use that blog to do a Day of the Dead lotería. So, instead of using the classic images and words of a lotería, you can use pictures and words related to the Day of the Dead.
If you need help with the vocabulary, pick some of the words above.
After you’ve finished, play with your lotería. You can play just with your kids or invite the whole family! It’s going to be a very Mexican afternoon. As well as a great activity to celebrate the “Día de Muertos” and acquire some Spanish along the way.
Watch a movie
Children love watching movies! It can be a way to entertain our kids, but it can also be great for language learning. Just make sure to watch the movie in Spanish. It can be dubbed, but it’s even better if it’s originally in Spanish.
A great idea is watching a movie about the Day of the Dead, like the popular “Coco”. So kids get immersed in Mexican culture and acquire the language. Whatever they don’t understand by words, they’ll understand it by the images. The best of all is that they’ll have tons of fun!
After watching it, discuss it with your kids. Ask them anything you can think of, like what they liked about it and who their favorite character was. Make sure they answer in Spanish.
Spanish Is More Alive than Ever! Celebrate Fluency with Us!
Kids can keep on celebrating the Día de los Muertos in Spanish with us!
TruFluency Kids teaches Spanish vocabulary for the everyday, that includes traditions and celebrations. We’ll also make sure they practice their speaking skills. So next year they’ll shock everyone with their fluency.
How will we achieve that? Thanks to our native teachers, who are truly experienced. They’ll teach through everyday, fun Spanish activities, like reading, cooking, singing, playing games, and even doing crafts! Your kids will not get bored with us!
All lessons are based on the Bellieu Method, created by our very own founder and CEO, Micah Bellieu. After years of studying languages, she realized the best way to become fluent was by using the language in real life. That’s what we strive to do with our method; we’ll encourage kids to speak in Spanish using all they’ve learned! Soon, their Spanish conversation skills will be thrilling!
Check our testimonials to see for yourself! Then, take a 30-minute trial class now for only $9! They’re very personalized, because there are no more than four to six students per class. After it, you’ll have the chance to participate in a Q & A for parents, so we can answer all your questions.
¡Te vemos en clase!
