Day of The Dead

Day of the Dead
I arrive in Guatemala on The Day of the Dead, November 1st. I’m

curious about this holiday, so I go to the cemetery to see what’s
happening. What I find is quite interesting.
The atmosphere is like a party. There are people everywhere.
Families are sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors. They
clean the graves and add fresh flowers. I walk through the
cemetery and admire the beauty of all the colorful flowers.
There is also color in the sky, because many kids are flying kites.
Some families are having a picnic next to the graves. They eat,
drink, and chat together. People laugh and smile.
In the Unites States, cemeteries are always somber. We certainly
never have festivals or parties next to graves. We don’t laugh or
play music or fly kites in cemeteries either.
I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach. I like the way they
remember and celebrate those who have passed away. I like that
they acknowledge death, instead of denying it the way Americans
do. I like that there is life, as well as death, in their cemeteries.
Guatemalans call it “The Day of the Dead”, but it is also a day to
appreciate life.
Day of the Dead Vocabulary
*****
OK! This is the vocabulary for Day of the dead.

So, the day of the dead, “ I arrive in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead, Movember
first. I’m curious about this holiday …”
“Holiday” is the normal word we use for a festival. Some people say “festival” but “holiday” is
more common. Christmas is a holiday. Halloween is a holiday. So “holiday” is… common word,
the most common word we use.
Ok. So I say, “ I’m curious about this holiday. So I go to the cemetery ”. Cemetery is
a place for dead people. Many, many dead people in a cemetery. So that’s what a cemetery.
That’s right, the place for dead people. “Cemetery”. So large area. Usually, large place.
“Cemetery”.
Ok, the next paragraph I say, “ The atmosphere is like a party”. Here, “atmosphere” means
the… the general feeling of a place. For example, I might say, “this house has a happy
atmosphere”, all right, it means the place has a happy feeling. Maybe it’s a very warm, maybe a
lot of nice people there. Many reasons. But “atmosphere” means the feeling of a place, a place.
“The atmosphere”. So, the cemetery had an atmosphere, a feeling like a party.
“Many people everywhere. And people were sitting around the graves of their dead
ancestors”. A "grave”, “a grave” is a place where one dead person is buried. Alright, one dead
person is in a grave, one dead body in a grave. Many graves in a cemetery. Alright! So a
cemetery has many, many graves. So each grave has one body, and then many graves in a
cemetery.
Ok, “They’re sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors . An "ancestor". "Ancestor" is
a person who comes before you in your family. For example, your grandfather or grandmother is
an ancestor, or your great-grandmother is an ancestor. So, all the people in your family older
than you, (you know) who came before you, these people are your ancestors. Ancestors,
ancestors. They say “ers”, ancestors.
Okay, “They clean the graves and add fresh flowers (the families clean the
graves). And I walk around through the cemetery and I admire (I appreciate, I
like, I admire) the beauty of all the colorful flowers. There is also color in the sky
because many kid s …”
“Kids” means children. So many children many kids are flying kites.
“Kites” are paper or plastic and with a string and you fly them in the wind. Usually children fly
kites. Kites.
“ Some families are having a picnic next to the graves. "Picnic" is when you eat outside. Alright.
Eat outside with many people. That is a picnic. A picnic.
Okay, “The people they eat, drink and chat together. They laugh and they smile. This is different
than the United States . In the United States cemeteries are always somber . ”.
“Somber” means very serious. Serious. Somber. Serious and not fun. Alright! Serious and not
fun. “Somber”, “somber”. So, in America, in the United States cemeteries are somber. They are
somber. Very serious, not fun. “somber”.
“ And we certainly , we never have festival or parties next to graves. We don’t laugh or
play music or fly kites in cemeteries either. ”
Then I say, “ I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach . ”
“I find that”. Here “find” means realize. I realize that I prefer the Guatemalan approach. I
find, I realize. I find that I prefer. I realize that I prefer. I understand that I prefer. OK, so
here “find” has a different meaning than normal, a little bit.
So, “ I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach. ”
“Approach”, here “approach” means way, ok? I prefer the Guatemalan way. The
Guatemalan method. I prefer the Guatemalan way. I prefer the Guatemalan approach.
OK?
“ I like the way they remember and celebrate those who have passed away .”
“Passed away”. “To passed away” means “to die”. It’s very polite. Very polite and very
soft way to say “die”. So if someone… someone’s mother dies, you can say, “I’m
sorry your mother passed away”, “I’m sorry you mom passed away”, “I’m
sorry she died”, “I’m sorry she passed away”. Passed away is softer and more
polite.
Okay.Next sentence I say, “ I like that they acknowledge death.”

“Acknowledge” means to recognize. To see and recognize.
“Instead of denying it…”

“Deny” is the opposite of "acknowledge". Deny means avoid to say “no” to something.
To avoid something. It’s to deny it, to deny it. The opposite of "deny" is "acknowledge".
Acknowledge and deny. Opposite.
Okay! So, they don’t denying death, “ the way American do. I like the there is
life, as well as death in their cemeteries. Guatemalans call it “The day of the
dead”, but it is also a day to appreciate life.”
“Appreciate” means celebrate. Ah… to understand and like something. So to
appreciate.
Okay. That is all of the vocabulary. Listen to the vocabulary lesson a few times. Read
the text several times. Listen to the audio article a few times, and then finally listen to
the mini-story many, many times. A lot every day. Okay!

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Day of the Dead

I arrive in Guatemala on The Day of the Dead, November 1st. I’m

Day of the Dead Vocabulary

OK! This is the vocabulary for Day of the dead.

Okay.Next sentence I say, “ I like that they acknowledge death.”

“Instead of denying it…”

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