On October 12th, I came to school dressed in a baturro dress. This is a tradtional folk dress from the Aragon region of Spain. Zaragoza is the capital of Aragon and it is where I spent most of my summers as a child and teenager. Why did I come to school dressed in this outfit on October 12th? October 12th is La Fiesta Del Pilar in Zaragoza, Spain. The festivities go on all week long but this day is when the Ofrenda de Flores (Offering of flowers) takes place. Thousands of people from Zaragoza,other parts of Spain, and some from South America, dress in their traditional outfits and process through Zaragoza to the Basilica (El Pilar- pictured above) with the flowers they want to offer to Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pilar). You can click on a picture below to enlarge it and read the caption.
Day of the Dead
The Day of the Dead is mostly celebrated in Mexico or by Mexican Americans here in the U.S. It is a celebration of life. The students did different activities and watched videos to learn about The Day of the Dead. Parents of 3rd throough 5th grade students may have seen a colorful picture of a 'calavera' (skull) come home that was colored in class. Muchas Gracias to Valeria in 6th grade for sharing her heritage with us! She made the beautiful poster pictured below and shared it with her class. She let me show the rest of the Jr. High. Ask your child what they learned about how the Mexican people honor their loved ones on The Day of the Dead and what they put on the alters.