Day of the Dead Info

Here's some links to excellent sites about the Day of the Dead festival in Oaxaca. I'll be putting up more information about it as i experience next week, but incase you've got some time on your hands and want to put some more meaning on our Halloween check the sites out. The pics are really interesting and actually the whole basis of it is really interesting. To all you teachers out there you should talk to your classes about this, a fun alternative to normal class while still learning about another culture at Halloween when most students will refuse to pay attention anyway!
Really quickly, the Day of the Dead Festival is from Ocotber 31st to November 2nd, and its a huge tradition in Mexico, especially here in Oaxaca. Its mostly practiced by the catholic population, so i dont get to see much of it since my host family is mormon and they dont participate. Essentially its a time when the spirits of family come back through a door open to this world and visit their family members. They are honoured in altars with pictures, fruit, vegetables, traditional dishes like mole, and sweets, along with visiting cemetaries for special ceremonies, bringing their relatives music that they like, or food or whatever their ancestors enjoyed in life. Its a huge deal and in some families its more important than Christmas as a religious holiday.
anyway check out the links that the Lovely Kacki sent me and i'll put up more info next week!

Offers a good explanation of the holiday
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/mdiaz/mdmuertos.html

This website offers cooking classes traditional food for the Day of the Dead
http://www.day-of-the-dead.org/

A nice, personal account of a foreigner describing in detail the Day of the Dead festivities- some nice photos
http://www.viva-oaxaca.com/Day_0f_Dead/DayDead_text.htm

Another website that describes the holiday of how it is celebrated and also offers tours and cooking classes
http://www.go-oaxaca.com/traditions/daydead.html