• Home
  • Our Shop
  • About Us
    • About MKB
    • Our Shop
    • MKB Board
    • Editorial Board and MKB Administrators
    • Our Contributors
    • For Bloggers: Join MKB
    • Books and Products from Our Members
    • Cultural Resources
    • Contact Us
  • Product Promotion Services
  • Blog Hops & Series
    • Holidays Around the World
      • Martin Luther King Day
      • Chinese New Year
      • Purim
      • Passover
      • Easter Around the World
      • Ramadan
      • Hajj (Eid al Adha)
      • Rosh Hashanah
      • Day of the Dead
      • Diwali
      • Hanukkah
      • Christmas in Different Lands
    • Heritage Months
      • Black History Month
      • Women’s History Month
      • Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month
      • Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Month
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Native American Heritage Month
    • Blogging Carnivals
    • Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop
    • Global Learning for Kids
  • Resources for Raising Global Citizens
  • Privacy Policy

Multicultural Kid Blogs

For families and educators raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love.

El Dia de los Muertos

October 25, 2013 by Sonia Smith-Kang

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Dia de los Muertos

It has been just over a month since my children’s haraboji  (grandfather in Korean) passed away after a long battle with cancer.  His passing brought up the tough question that has plagued many parents: How do you talk to your kids about death?

Dia de Los Muertos GrandparentsMis hijos y sus abuelos

Death is one of the hardest subjects to broach with young children, especially when you’re struggling to deal with your own sorrow. My 8-year-old reacted one way and my 5-year-old another. One became clingy, while the other was his usual cheerfulness. Our daily routine had been interrupted as days and nights would be spent at the hospital visiting haraboji while extended family were staying with us. Each time they looked around, all the adults were sad. When haraboji passed away, visits to the hospital stopped, he was laid to rest and the family flew back to their respective homes. Now what?

We told our children that it is okay to still love haraboji even though he passed away. We shared with them that their love for haraboji was forever and that even though they won’t be able to touch or see haraboji any more, that it is okay to remember him, talk about him and even celebrate him. That’s when it hit me: Why not introduce and share with my kids the holiday I grew up with, El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), as a way to help them cope with their loss.

Dia de Los Muertos Sundress

 Dia de los Muertos calaveras sundress

Day of the Dead dates back thousands of years when the Aztecs would honor a goddess that had passed away. Today, it is a day to celebrate, remember, honor and prepare special foods of those who have departed. On November 1, in Mexico and in parts of the U.S, cemeteries are filled with decorations of papel picado (colorful tissue or crepe paper garlands with intricate, festive designs), flowers, candy calaveras (skeletons and skulls), and ofrenda (“the offering”, a table or altar decorated to hold the offerings of food and drink for the weary spirit guests). We will wear our festive clothes like the ones I have in my collection, prepare pan de los muertos (bread of the dead) and invite family and friends over to remember our loved ones. We will use this holiday to remember the good times that they had with their haraboji. This day will be a celebration, a fun remembrance of those no longer with us. Some families even eat at the grave sites of their loved ones to show that they are still a part of their families.

It might sound somewhat morbid, but Dia de los Muertos is reacting to death with mourning intermixed with happiness and joy. There are songs, sayings, and poems that are popular on day of the dead. We will do a take on this and personalize it by writing our own poems, drawing pictures or coloring for haraboji. At the cemetery, we will play his favorite music and present what the children made in his honor.

Dia de Los Muertos Offering

La ofrenda “the offering”

I want my children to learn to live alongside death by learning to accept death within their lives without fear. As an adult, there are a few things I know: I know that death is apparent in everyday life. I know that death is something we will all have to deal with someday. I know that children process grief in their own time, in their own way and not all at once. I know that if children are given the right emotional tools to deal with death, they will be healthier and happier if/when things happen. I know that by introducing my cultural tradition of Dia de los Muertos, it may just be the thing they need to start the healing.

Dia de los MuertosAdios haraboji

MIxedupLogo

Sonia N. Kang was born in Puerto Rico to an African-American father, Mexican-American mother, raised in Hawaii before setting roots in California. She is founder and designer of Mixed Up Clothing, an ethnic-inspired children’s fashion line that celebrates global diversity. The textiles, fabrics, and embellishments from all over the world will inspire your mini global citizens. Mixed Up Clothing acknowledges, embraces and appreciates the beauty of today’s family. Join Sonia on her “Mixed Up Blog” as she shares stories of being a multicultural wife to her Korean-American husband, mom to 4 children, raising them to learn Korean and Spanish in addition to English, and a mom-preneur.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Instagram profile

Sonia Smith-Kang

Sonia Smith-Kang is founder and designer at Mixed Up Clothing, a children's brand celebrating cultural diversity and inclusion. As a mixed race AfroLatina born on Puerto Rico, raised on O'ahu, Sonia uses her cultural heritage in everything she does. A multicultural advocate and expert, she has appeared on NPR, Today show, The Real, HuffPost, Medium and Latina Magazine. As a multiracial activist, she serves as president of Multiracial Americans of Southern California, a 501c3. Sonia calls L.A home with her Korean-American husband and their 4 children they call their mini global citizens.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Instagram profile

Latest posts by Sonia Smith-Kang (see all)

  • Korean Flower Pancake: Hwajeon Recipe - December 7, 2018
  • El Dia de los Muertos - October 25, 2013

Filed Under: Day of the Dead, Mexico, USA Tagged With: Day of the Dead, death and children, dia de los muertos, multicultural parenting, parenting resources, talking about death with children

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Comments

  1. Marie-Claude Leroux says

    October 25, 2013 at 3:37 pm

    What a great description of the impact Dia de Los Muertos has in one’s family. I’m sorry to hear about your family’s loss.

    • Sonia Kang says

      October 25, 2013 at 9:11 pm

      Thank you for your kind words!

  2. Leanna says

    October 25, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    This is such a touching post. It is so difficult to talk to children about death, but you really found a wonderful way to honor their haraboji and deal with their grief. Beautiful!

  3. Sonia Kang says

    October 25, 2013 at 9:12 pm

    Thanks Leanna for the opportunity to share our story!

  4. Jody says

    October 26, 2013 at 2:19 am

    I’m so sorry for your loss but I love this post. What a beautiful way to help your children cope with the death of a loved one and celebrate their grandfather.

    • sonia kang says

      October 28, 2013 at 11:21 am

      Thank you Jody!

  5. Bronwyn Joy says

    October 30, 2013 at 9:10 am

    I’m sorry to hear about the passing of your father-in-law. I think choosing to celebrate this tradition with your children as a way of processing the loss was inspired. It’s a great tradition – obviously very full of vitality! Perhaps I should tuck the idea away myself in case I need it.

  6. Sonia Kang says

    November 1, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    Thank you Bronwyn. Appreciate you saying that. All the best, Sonia

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on Instagram

Anti-Bullying Resource FREE Download

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Grab Our Button!

grab button for Multicultural Kid Blogs
<div class="multicultural-kid-blogs-button" style="width: 200px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/" rel="nofollow"> <img src="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/button-take-3.jpg" alt="Multicultural Kid Blogs" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div>
Multicultural Children's Book Day Co-Host

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT