In Mexico we have a very rich culture and full of traditions.
One of them is the Day of the Dead and notice carefully that I didn't say Halloween.
The Day of the Dead is a special day in which we dedicate a particular time to remember our loved ones who are already enjoying the presence of God.
This tradition goes back many years and has particular characteristics that may vary depending on the place or region of the country.
But what they all have in common is that desire to pray and remember the people who have already been called to return to the Father's house.
There are different elements that are part of this tradition. One of them is to go visit our deceased relatives at the pantheon and pray for them.
Another is to have a mass said for them.
And the best known is the altar of the dead. Which consists of putting a photo of the deceased and decorating it with colorful confetti, putting flowers, objects and food that the deceased liked to remember him or her.
Sometimes the meaning of all this is confused and the Catholic meaning is lost, but it is necessary to preserve our traditions and ensure that our children know them and live them well, in the Catholic style.
That's why today I leave you my 5 Tips to pass on traditions to our children and live them as a family.
FIRST. Explain to them what it consists of.
It is essential that our children understand what true tradition consists of and understand why it is carried out.
In the case of the Day of the Dead, it is important that they know how to distinguish what is the memory of the faithful departed and what has become a cult of death, which loses all Catholic meaning. It is also important to be clear that Day of the Dead is not the same as Halloween.
We can use a book to illuminate and understand what it consists of, or an educational film where it is explained clearly. The idea is that we are sure that it is clear to our children what this tradition is and what it consists of.
SECOND. Let them participate in decorating.
It is always better to involve our children actively so that they have the memory and imprint of this tradition.
Of course, their participation must be according to their age and maturity, but there will always be an opportunity for them to help us.
THIRD. Let them make crafts about this tradition.
A beautiful way to decorate is to make crafts that we can prepare in advance and where children and young people express their feelings about this tradition, in this way they will make it their own and adopt it for their entire lives.
What crafts can you make? They should always go according to their age but there are countless things they can do.
Especially for the day of the dead, you can start by making shredded paper of different colors, you can make a drawing of what the deceased liked for the altar, you can make sculptures with plasticine of the food and drink that the deceased liked or, also, the larger ones. , they can make a portrait of the deceased.
Another way to collaborate can be by helping to cook the dishes that will be placed on the altar.
FOURTH. Let them ensure that the tradition is not influenced by other traditions.
An important point is that we be careful that our traditions are not contaminated by foreign influence.
In this case, Halloween has come to contaminate our tradition and has given it an unpleasant turn, so we can tell our children to be inspectors and guardians of traditions, so that they themselves can detect when something is out of order. place and be able to give a little explanation of why that is wrong.
I am sure that many of our children will be excited about this activity and it will make them love our traditions more because they will be protecting them themselves.
AND FIFTH. Let them live it as a family. Family is very important.
Yes, it is very beautiful that our traditions allow us to spend quality time with family and that they give us the opportunity to create and live together these important dates for us.
Sometimes we think that our children are not capable of understanding what is happening, but we do not realize that today's children are more awake and participatory every day, so we can let them live our traditions at their level.
As for the Day of the Dead, the younger they are, the less they understand the most transcendent meaning of the tradition, but they can learn that life has an end in this world and that it then continues in eternal life and that we remember our loved ones that They already went ahead of us, with love and respect and that, at least once a year, we dedicate time to pray for them and remember them.
Everything that is experienced as a family leaves a deep and very special mark on each of our children.
Source: Catholic. Net.
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