Day of the dead. Part 1

Next week we are celebrating Day of the dead, I am having the children color their own skull, you can download it here. I will also explain them the meaning and the tradition of this day. In case you don't know it, this is a short explanation:

Day of the dead in Mexico represents a mixture of Christian devotion and Pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs. As a result of this mixture, the celebration comes to life as an unique Mexican tradition including an altar and offerings dedicated to the deceased.

The altar includes four main elements: earth, wind, water and fire.

Earth is represented by crop, Mexicans believe that souls are fed by the aroma of food.
Wind is represented by a moving object, tissue paper is commonly used.
Water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after the long journey to the altar.
Fire is represented by a wax candle, each lit candle represents a soul and an extra one is placed for the forgotten soul.

Nowadays, people also use photographs of their love ones and prepare their favorite foods. My mom used to leave a Coke for my dad on his favorite glass.