Flickering Lights: Days of the Dead - Video Recording Review

Arts & Activities, Oct, 2002 by Barbara Herberholz

Video with Teacher's Guide/25 min./$39.95. Level: Grades 4-12. Crizmac Art & Cultural Education Materials, Inc., P.O. Box 65928, Tucson, AZ 85728, (800) 913-8555.

This colorful video, with its lively background music, was inspired by Mexico's Days of the Dead, which is celebrated every year on November 1-2. Filmed mostly in Oaxaca, where families prepare for this special holiday, the video shows close-ups of the many works of art created around the theme of skeletons and skulls. Special foods in the shapes of the holiday's theme are made to give life to the people's cultural beliefs.

Of particular emphasis is the great variety of ofrendas (altars) erected in public buildings, churches, restaurants, homes and cemeteries to honor family members and friends who have passed away. On display in this manner are numerous items--sugar skulls, papier-mache objects, papel picado (cut-tissue banners), breads, flowers, and fruit and vegetables. A short Teacher's Guide contains a history and background of the Zapotec Indians, the purpose of the ofrendas, the special foods and sweets, and the cemetery vigil with its flickering candles. Included are questions for discussion, aesthetic inquiry and studio art ideas. This is an excellent resource, especially for integrating art in the curriculum. For information about this program, circle No. 397 on the Reader Service Card.