During this project our goal was to learn about Dia de los Muertos and how it is celebrated amongst other cultures. After learning about Obon, All Souls Day, Qingming, and Samhain we started comparing all these celebrations that were very different but still had their similarities. We then started grouping up in committiees to prepare for our exhibition. I was in the logistics committee. What this meant was that I, along with Kris, would organize the schedule, placement, and invitations to this exhibition. We were also in charge of making announcements during the exhibition and making sure everyone in other committiees had what they needed.
My reflection:
After reading about all of these different cultures (left) I realized that there are many many different days to celebrate one thing which in this case is death. I come from a traditional Mexican-American family and what I have learned as I grew up was that when we die, we reach eternal life and on Dia de los Muertos our life is celebrated. Reading about these few ways of celebrating death, makes me want to rethink how I view things and how I might want to celebrate it. I would love to continue learning more about these cultures and traditions that they may bring.
How other cultures celebrate:
Obon is an annual Buddhist event that is celebrated to commommerate one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives. All Souls Day is a day of prayer for the dead. This is celebrated mainly by the Catholic Church, although some churches of the Anglican Communion and the old Catholic Churches also celebrate. Qingming is a Chinese festival that is focused on showing respect to ancestors. This day is translated to Tomb-Sweeping Day in English and is usually celebrated on the 4th or 5th of April. Samhain is a festival of the dead that originated in ancient Europe as a Clectic Fire festival. It is believed that the souls of the dead would be available during the night. Today, Samhain, is celebrated world wide.