Day Of The Dead
ESL 7
By Mario Fuentes
The Day of the Dead or “Dia de los Muertos” is celebrated
in many countries of Latin America. We commemorate the
death of our family and friends that have passed away.
Every country has their own way to celebrate this day but
today I will tell you how I used to celebrate it in my home
land.
In Guatemala, people paint and decorate their tombs with
flowers with bright colors to bring their souls alive. Prayers,
candles, music and food are part of the tradition to show
love to our family and friends that once were with us.
'Fiambre' is one of the dishes for this celebration and it's a
combination of the indigenous and the Spanish culture. It's
a mix of all kind of vegetables that are cultivated in the
country and the meats (embutidos) that were brought by the
Spanish during the conquering days.
Flying kites is fun for all the children and young adults and
a way to express the art of the colorful kites in different sizes
and shape. They compete against each other for the
biggest, the smallest, the most creative, the longest that
stays in the air and the highest. This tradition is a belief of
the indigenous people that by flying kites is a way to keep
t h e b a d s p i r i t s a w a y. I r e m e m b e r m y c h i l d h o o d i n
Guatemala like it was yesterday, all the traditions, mysticism,
ethnicities and culture that we have is a part of our life.
In Our Own Words 2016
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