The Day of the Dead comes to life at Mepham

As some ring in the harvest by carving Jack-o-lanterns, watching horror films and handing candy to children in costume, others observe the Day of the Dead by celebrating life and honoring the deceased.

At Mepham High School, students explored the origins of the Day of the Dead as part of the school’s extracurricular program called Enriching Learners in Tomorrow’s Education. To show their appreciation for the Latin American holiday, they painted one of its staple symbols: the sugar skull.

“[The holiday] seems to be so popular in society right now,” said Mepham Spanish teacher Danielle McNeil, who ran the after-school program.

The holiday began roughly 3,000 years ago and was celebrated by the Aztec people over the summer. When Spanish colonists arrive in Mexico, they initially saw the holiday as sacrilegious. However, over time it merged with the Christian holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Eventually, Nov. 1 became “el Dia de los Innocentes” and commemorated the lives of deceased children while Nov. 2 was designated as “el Dia de los Muertos” and commemorated the lives of deceased adults.

McNeil explained that the sugar skull, to the Latin American people, is commemorative of friends or family who have died and crossed over to another plane of existence. They are usually depicted as edible treats, but can also be painted on canvas or worn as masks. During the holiday, the dead are said to visit the living and celebrate by dancing, breaking open piñatas and enjoying feasts with their living relatives.

Families visit their deceased relatives’ gravesites and plant marigold flowers to attract the spirits of their loved ones. Another ritual involves creating an altar and place on it photos of the deceased, their favorite foods and anything vibrant in color, to symbolize joy after death.

McNeil told the students about two recent pop culture references to the holiday. In 2014, director Guillermo del Toro released the film “Book of Life” and next month, Disney and Pixar will release the film “Coco,” both of which take place during the Day of the Dead celebration.