King’s Ely students and staff celebrate ‘Day of the Dead’
Published on isbi School News dated Wednesday 30th of November 2022
We are incredibly proud that our school community is made up of 40 different nationalities. The fact that our students, families and staff hail from all corners of the globe makes King’s a truly diverse environment in which to learn, work and live, and a community reflective of the world beyond our historic buildings.This also means that we make a conscious effort to celebrate different cultures and traditions at every opportunity – these photos show how we have commemorated ‘Day of the Dead’, also known as ‘Día de Muertos’, this month!
Day of the Dead is a festival which takes place annually in November, mainly in Mexico, but also in some South American countries. It combines the harvest festival life cycle, the celebration of new life coming from death by Ancient Mesoamerican indigenous groups including Aztec, Maya and Toltec, with the 16th Century Spanish settlers’ Catholic celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, which honoured those who died.
To celebrate this holiday, many Mexicans create Ofrendas, an at-home shrine or altar, which they decorate with marigold-type flowers native to Mexico and also used to adorn graves, believing the vibrant colours and scents will help to make a path leading the spirits of loved ones from the cemetery to their families’ homes on this holiday. They also use sugar skulls, known as Calaveritas de azure, as a whimsical reminder of the cyclicality of life, which is why they are brightly decorated with flowers and Monarch butterflies which migrate to Mexico each year on November 1st, coinciding with Day of the Dead.
Our Kitchen and Catering Team organised a Day of the Dead themed banquet, where our boarding students and staff were able to enjoy a fantastic variety of Mexican foods, including Beef Chimichangas, Elotes, Chipotle Carnitas, Arroz con Leche, Mexican Chilli Chocolate Fudge and more.
Students also focused on Day of the Dead in Cultural Crafts Club this week. They decorated little wooden hanging skulls, typical of this celebration and specially made for them by Marcos Carballo Carreira, our Design Engineering Technician. This after school club is led by Eleanor Herring, our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, to increase learning and awareness about different cultures and commemorations around the world through simple arts and crafts. The club takes place every Tuesday during term time and is supported by our ‘King’s Unity Group’.
Happy Día de Muertos everyone!