2. Mexican Traditions
In Mexico they celebrate the Day of the Dead. They decorate the streets with
patterns that you make out of silk paper which is called Papel Picado. The different
colours of the paper have different meanings, the purple represents Catholic
religion, the blue represents people that suffered from water related deaths, the
red represents the Aztecs but also women that pass away giving birth , yellow
represents old people that have died, the green represents young people that
have died and the white represents children.
Lastly, the colour black, however it is not commonly used or ever used as it as it as
as it represents help.
3. Decorations
As one of the decorations they make a fake paper flower, “Flores de Papel Crepe”.
This is used to decorate the altars; it was believed to guide the way to the altar for
the dead. To make this you need a stapler, scissors, a cup, a pen and tissue paper.
❏ After folding the paper mache over multiple times, you trace differently shaped
circles onto it using the cup and pencil/pen.
❏ Staple the centre of the circles and cut them out, then using your fingers
scrunch. Then and fold them different layers to create a rose flower look.
❏ They are also often an orange marigold colour
These decorations are very beautiful and have a very interesting and deep
meaning behind them too.
4. Personal Feedback
We really liked the videos showing us about different Mexican
decorations to celebrate the Day of the Dead or Dias los Muertos. You
can see that a lot of work went into making them and there was a lot
of information about the altars and that the Papel Picado isn’t just
colourful pieces of paper cut into many different, intricate patterns,
there is a deeper meaning for each of the colours. We thoroughly
enjoy watching the videos.
