Days of the Dead

Many cultures have celebrations that commemorate their ancestors. Mexico's celebration, los Días de Muertos, the Days of the Dead, can be like a carnival. Young people throng the streets dressed up in ghoulish costumes. They beg for calaveras - treats - like candy skulls made of sugar or chocolate, and everyone buys pan de muerto, a bread decorated with a patter of bones. This is also a time for families to reunite in remembrance of those who have died. People go to market to buy what is needed for the ofrenda, or offering, to the souls of the departed - special foods and other items. The next morning, everyone goes to the cemetery to visit the graves of loved ones who have died. All through the night, they pray and sing by candlelight in celebration of the Days of the Dead. Author Kathryn Lasky and photographer Christopher G. Knight capture the spirit of this vibrant holiday with vivid prose and brilliant, full-color photographs.