Toothwhale

Celebrate the Day of the Dead

 
"Scare"iachi was part of Cheekwood's Scarecrow! exhibit in 2009.

 

What is the Day of the Dead?

"The Day of the Dead, El dia de los muertos, is one of Mexico's most important holidays. It actually spans three days, from October 31 to November 2, and is a time to remember loved ones now gone. Families prepare favorite foods of the departed and picnic at their graves. They adorn the graves with marigolds, the traditional flower of the dead, and strew paths of petals to lead the spirits to the offerings, which, along with the delicious food, usually include salt and water, symbols of ongoing life. The people dance, sing, and share memories of their loved ones, welcoming their spirits, who are thought to return briefly to take part in the celebration." -- Tony Johnston, author of Day of the Dead

 

Where can I learn more about the Day of the Dead?

Day of the Dead, written by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Jeanette Winter, is a picture book about a Mexican family's preparation for and celebration of the holiday. The small, striking book is sprinkled with Spanish and figurative language. Children and their parents will enjoy and learn from the story.

SpanglishBaby is all about Dia de los Muertos this week. Start your reading with Veronica Gonzalez Smith's Cultures Intertwined: Halloween VS Dia de los Muertos.

 

How can I celebrate the Day of the Dead?

How to Celebrate Dia de los Muertos by SpanglishBaby's Ana Lilian explains traditional ways to celebrate. 

If you live in Nashville, you can attend the El Dia de los Muertos fall festival at Cheekwood this Saturday, October 30, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival is free for Cheekwood members, free for children 17 and younger, and $15 for adults. There will be hands-on art activities, community art, live music and dance, Mexican food, and a Mexican marketplace. The list of things to do, see, hear, taste and be tempted to buy at the bilingual event goes on and on.

My family and I are planning to attend the festival at Cheekwood on Saturday. My son Henry learned about the Day of the Dead at a Tuesdays for Tots art program at Cheekwood last October, and has asked that we celebrate the holiday this year. Like the family in Johnston's Day of the Dead, he wants to remember los abuelos, the grandparents.

Country fun at the Music & Molasses Festival

 

The Music & Molasses Arts & Crafts Festival surpassed expectations. We went on Saturday while my parents were visiting Nashville and had an experience we won't forget.The festival is held the third weekend in October each year at the Ellington Agricultural Center. We won't miss it next year. Don't you, either, if you can help it.

 

We milked a dairy goat. We snapped apples. We listened to the Jingo Jammers and American Indian storytelling. We "painted" a barn and watched a mule make molasses. We wandered in a garden, looked into a one-room schoolhouse, and met a horse named Henry. And more -- lots more.

 

Some of the best parts of the day were special to the festival, but others are things visitors to the Tennessee Agricultural Museum can enjoy during regular hours, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Disney on Ice -- Toy Story 3

 

We're a family of Toy Story fans, so when I heard from my friend Sami Cone that a Toy Story 3 Disney on Ice show was coming to Nashville, I got excited. When Sami announced she was giving away tickets, I got even more excited. And when Sami told me I'd won, I was thrilled.

 

We ended up passing the four tickets I'd won on to a friend and buying our own. The friend saw the show with her family first and said it was great. Sure enough. Henry and Harper were mesmerized. Jake and I were tickled by their expressions as they watched some of their favorite characters skate. It was a special experience for all of us.

 

Disney on Ice -- Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 3 is touring the country through next spring. Catch it if you can.

Walking in Asheville

Asheville, N.C., is at the top of my list of Places to Go Again after being there last weekend for the Type-A Mom Conference. Asheville would work as a family destination, but my hope is to go with my husband, because being there just-the-two-of-us would mean being able to take our time and really soak in the flavor of the city.

Brigid, Shab, Malia and I arrived in Asheville on Friday afternoon, and on Friday evening, we set out on a photowalk of a section of downtown near the Renaissance, where the conference was held and where we stayed.

 

We started at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. My favorite part of the Old Kentucky Home boarding house's exterior was its stained glass.

 

We walked on and stopped in Pack Square Park, a green space with a fountain made for splashing and a view of downtown architecture.

 

We walked a ways down Patton Avenue, past restaurants, boutiques, and chocolate shops, and ended at a plaza where dozens of people had gathered for an Asheville Friday night tradition: the drum circle.

Brigid, Shab, and I listened and watched a while. We had lost Malia with the rest of the photowalk crowd by then, and we decided to head back up Patton to Salsa's, a "Mexican Caribbean" restaurant. Shab and I shared platanos good like my mom's, and I got a chicken enchilada so layered with flavor I'll be thinking about it for years.

Asheville is art and architecture, local food and hippie skirts, blue skies and mountains in my mind, and those are things I like. I hope it won't be another 15 years before I'm there again.

Have you been to Asheville? What did you think?