Some of you may know that my family background is truly American. I have a Chicana mother and a son of an Arkansas farmer father, with Scoth-Irish and American Indian running through his veins. Now, I am married to an Irish Lithuanian from south of Boston! My kids have quite the cultural make-up, don't they? Growing up, we didn't want to learn Spanish, thinking that it was something we wouldn't need. But, my mom made great Mexican food, which was difficult because during the 70s in Northern Virginia it was hard to find "the good stuff." Slowly, things changed, and I became much more aware of my personal background and much more appreciative of what my grandfather's family did, coming to America during the Mexican Revolution. I am glad that my mother is sharing Mexican traditions with my children, too. One of these is "Dia de los Muertos" or Day of the Dead. This is a custom in Mexico in which you honor your deceased family members on the first two days of November (All Saints and All Souls days). You can find lots of info
here. Skulls and skeletons are HUGE for the celebrations, as are marigolds. So, I fashioned myself a Dia de los Muertos card!
The Mexican skeletons have even gone mainstream: last year and this year, I have seen Mexican inspired Halloween decor at Target, including a mariachi attired skeleton. I love the look, but my 6 year old hates "spooky" so I don't have many skulls or skeletons,
yet! I hope you've enjoyed this cultural interlude, stamping style. I'll have one more Dia de los Muertos card for you soon.
card info: images by A Muse, cardstock from my supply, black pen (for the moustache), paper flowers by Doodlebug and Prima, stickles.
2 comments:
This is a great Day of the Dead card!
While my family isn't of Mexican heritage, we celebrate Day of the Dead as well: sugar skulls and all. We hand banners and make a traditional meal for our friends. It's always a lot of fun! =)
This is fantastic. Really nice job!
Post a Comment