| Author | |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: Oct 26 2010 at 9:43am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I posted our broad plans on my blog Skull and Bones, trying to tie together/touch on the Catholic traditions of All Hallows’ Eve / Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day and the month of November. I want to highlight some traditions in different Catholic cultures, such as Day of the Dead (El Dia de Los Muertos), cemetery tending, etc. In addition, I wanted to draw out some focus on skulls and skeletons, using music, books, art, and crafts.
The spiritual focus behind the skeletons is not fear or gruesomeness, but a reminder of our mortality. During November the Church has us focus on the Last Things, including thinking and preparing for our death and also praying for the dead. Seeing the skulls and skeletons we remember “we are dust and unto dust we shall return”. The skulls and bones are also a reminders of the destruction of sin to the soul. Heaven is our final and true home, so we need to remember to be vigilant at all times.
See Women for Faith and Family: Hallowe’en a Christian Holiday by Helen Hull Hitchcock. Excellent article!
Like the early Christians with the symbol of the fish, we can take things are used in today’s world and have a different meaning. Skeletons are used during Halloween in the United States to conjure up various feelings of fear. We can use the same skeletons and claim the Christian symbolism.
I was surprised that we didn't have a list for skeletons and skulls, nor really a Day of the Dead list, so I'm sharing the books here. The other inspiration you can read on my blog post. For once, I can proudly say these books were at my library. If you have any other recommendations, please share!
One thing I struggle with on the Day of the Dead traditions is the idea that the spirits return to the earth. This is folklore, based on the Aztec traditions, and not in the Catholic teaching. I found this good quote that explains a bit.
Day of the Dead customs are combined from Aztec and Catholic traditions, so some ideas from folklore have remained, particularly the idea that the spirits return. It is wholesome to pray, remember, honor our dead in different ways, but the ideas that the food is for the spirits, paths are made for the spirits to follow, etc. are all against Church teaching. The following explains why the spirits do not return to earth:
Quote:
Can the souls of the dead leave heaven or hell? If so, why are spiritualistic seances condemned by the Church?
The possibility or impossibility of a departed soul’s appearing to the living has no bearing whatsoever on the Church’s condemnation of Spiritism. The Church frowns on Spiritus as superstition because that occult practice is a presumptious attempt on the part of man to effect apparitions for insufficient, or even evil, reasons. The Church’s attittude is based also on the knowledge that the other circumstances ordinarily attended seances are hardly in accord with God’s wisdom and holiness–and only God can permit the appearance of separated spirits.
There is no doubt that the souls of the dead have appeared, but always with God’s permission and for God’s purposes.
St. Thomas said that no soul can leave heave or hell in the sense that its place is no longer heaven or hell. Moreover, no soul can leave, even for a time, in ordinary course of nature. A soul can leave, however, by a dispensation of Divine Providence.
The main reasons that departed souls cannot leave heaven or hell in in the ordinary course of nature are:
1) There is a great difference between the state of the living and the state of the dead. The living man’s knowledge comes through sense impressions; the departed soul is bodiless, and cannot communicate with the living through nature means.
2) Ordinarily the departed soul, since it is in its final state, has no special reason to communicate with the living.
(From Ask and Learn: Questions and Answers on the Life of the Church by Rev. Reobert E. Kekeisen, M.A., Litt.D., Westminster, MD: The Newman Press, 1957. ) |
|
|
Books (* are our favorites):
Skeletons and Bones in General:
- *Dem Bones illustrated by Bob Barner. The book that inspired our little study. If you can view the Scholastic Video of this, it is wonderful! You can preview the video (different segments) here and here. Study Guide
- The Bones You Own: A Book About the Human Body, by Becky Baines, National Geographic, Washington, DC, 2009
- Bones: Skeletons and How They Work by Steve Jenkins, Scholastic Press, New York, 2010
- The Big Book of Bones by Claire Llewellyn.
- The Skull Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Ralph Masiello
- Funnybones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
and others in the series
Day of the Dead Picture books (note to my sons that souls do not return; this is just folklore)
- *El dia de los muertos / The Day of the Dead by Bob Barner. His latest, with the same great drawings like Dem Bones[/span].
- Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book by Jeanette Winter, Harcourt, Inc., 2004 Delightful illustrations. The beginning explains how they make calveras out of papier-mache. Then the alphabet proceeds, with all the different depictions of Calaveras. The alphabet words are in Spanish, so that makes this alphabet unique.
- Clatter Bash! A Day of the Dead Celebration by Richard Keep, Peachtree Publishers, 2004. On Day of the Dead the skeletons arise and celebrate. The text is simple expressions and exclamations, descriptive words like Wow! Knock-knock, etc. The back has a short explanation of that is unfolded in the pictures
- A gift for Abuelita: Celebrating the Day of the Dead English/Spanish by Nancy Luenn, illustrated by Robert Chapman, Northland Publishing Company, Flagstaff, AZ, 1998.
- I remember Abuelito: a Day of the Dead story = Yo recuerdo a Abuelito : un cuento del Diìa de los Muertos by Janice Levy
- The spirit of Tio Fernando : a Day of the Dead story by Janice Levy
- Maria Molina and the Days of the Dead by Kathleen Krull.
- *Day of the Dead by Tony Johnston (Author), Jeanette Winter (Illustrator)
- Festival of Bones / El Festival de las Calaveras: The Little-Bitty Book for the Day of the Dead by Luis San Vicente
About Day of the Dead (These are more factual books, many with photographs):
- Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead by George Ancona, 1993, Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, New York.
- Day of the Dead: A Mexican-American Celebration by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith, Photographs by Lawrence Migdale, 1994, Holiday House (longer text)
- *Day of the Dead by Linda Lowery, Illustrations by Barbara Knutson, Carolrhoda Books, Inc., Minneapolis, 2004.
- Days of the Dead by Kathryn Lasky, photographs by Christopher G. Knight, Hyperion Books for Children, New York, 1994. Photographic story of events of Days of the Dead, explanations. Monarch butterflies arriving in Mexico symbol of the spirits returning.
- Pinatas and Smiling Skeletons: Celebrating Mexican Festivals by Zoe Harris and Suzanne Williams, Illustrated by Yolanda Garfias Woo, Pacific View Press, Berkeley, California, 1998. I didn’t read through the whole book yet, but the illustrations are sweet and there are crafts and food ideas for many of the festivals, so a good book to pull out for Mexican culture.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MaryM
Board Moderator
Joined: Feb 11 2005
Location: Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13104
|
| Posted: Oct 26 2010 at 9:54am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wow, Jenn. I was just going to link your great plans post somewhere on the board. This is great having all the picture book resources here.
You did a fabulous job and lots of work compiling this. 
__________________
Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: Oct 26 2010 at 12:11pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
MaryM wrote:
Wow, Jenn. I was just going to link your great plans post somewhere on the board. This is great having all the picture book resources here.
You did a fabulous job and lots of work compiling this. |
|
|
Thanks, Mary. It really didn't take long...I've been checking out the books and one thing inspired another. I think the longest was just putting the links together.
Our big craft project I plan on doing this week is making pysanky in the form of skulls, skeletons, and jack o'lanterns. I was thinking how easy these would be -- large areas, no tiny detail, and for the skeleton, just dying in one color, black. The pumpkin would be two colors...easy-peasy!
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MaryM
Board Moderator
Joined: Feb 11 2005
Location: Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13104
|
| Posted: Nov 02 2010 at 11:16am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I've uploaded some skeleton templates to make movable paper calacas for All Souls Day.
Make Your Own Paper Calacas: Dia de los Muertos Activity
__________________
Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: Oct 21 2011 at 2:50pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Bumping this thread...I just checked out all our "Day of the Dead" books.
I saw this great art project today:
"Day of the Dead" Skull Pattern drawing.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MaryM
Board Moderator
Joined: Feb 11 2005
Location: Colorado
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13104
|
| Posted: Oct 21 2011 at 3:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
That is a cool pattern. Thanks for the link.
__________________
Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SeaStar
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 16 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9068
|
| Posted: July 04 2014 at 8:15am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I just picked up a copy of "Mr. McFadden's Halloween" by Rumer Godden.
Anyone read it? It has only one review at Amazon, but it's a good one...
I am thinking anything by that author is good, right?
__________________
Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Picture Book Discoveries
Topic: Skull and Bones
