Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Kwanzaa Barbie and Her Kin
Sure, I played with Barbies some when I was a grade schooler—back in the olden days of original Barbie. Never actually owned a Barbie of my own, not really being into dolls all that much, but my friends always had extras I could use when visitng them. It was a bit of a shock years later when I realized that there's now a Barbie for pretty much every occasion! There are birthday Barbies
, graduation Barbies, and wedding Barbies. This year's Holiday Barbie joins the ranks of those who have come before her. There are a number of different Irish Barbies to choose from for St. Patrick's Day. (26 Dec 2007-1 Jan 2008) (2-6 Feb 2008) (7 Feb 2008) (5 May 2008) (20 Sep-5 Oct 2008) (28 Oct 2008)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Fisher Price Little People
I'm always a little nostalgic thinking of my son playing with his Little People when he was small. While looking for merchandise to sell in my store I was amazed to see how many more Little People sets there are now! Stuart would certainly have enjoyed these First Thanksgiving
and Nativity sets. (Though for some unknown reason the shepherds are not included in the basic set and must be purchased separately.)There's also a whole selection of other Christmas sets:
Friday, November 2, 2007
Día de los Muertos
Yesterday my Spanish conversation class met at El Jacalito, a Mexican restaurant here in Pocatello. I admit that I'm not a big fan of many of the spices and seasonings used in Mexican cooking but even I found plenty to eat and enjoyed the meal immensely.Because of the date, our class subject for the night was Día de los Muertos.
Here's part of the material we covered:
Increasingly, Hispanic traditions and celebrations are going mainstream. Such is the case for Día de los Muertos; more non-Hispanics are visiting the graves and honoring the memory of passed loved ones with altars decorated with skulls and most importantly, delicious plates of food. To help celebrate, the National Honey Board recreated wonderful and traditional Día de los Muertos recipes made with honey, a customary ingredient that according to legend, gives a unique sweetness to the journey from life on earth to life after death.
Día de los Muertos, celebrated on November 2nd, is originally an Aztec custom celebrating their dead during the ninth month of the Solar Calendar. Although the original festivities have changed through time, their essence is intact. And although the authentic human skulls have been replaced by candy imitations, these representations along with paintings, costumes and art forms symbolize death as the birth of a new life.
The Spanish colony brought the Catholic faith to the new world and missionaries tried to make death a more solemn event. However, much of the Aztec tradition prevailed and their fusion became the Día de los Muertos as we know it today. Día de los Muertos festivals have grown and they aren’t only practiced in Mexico anymore but also in many U.S. cities where people of diverse backgrounds can be found enjoying the celebrations.
Día de los Muertos traditions entail visiting loved ones’ tombs where it’s customary to place offerings such as food, candles, a picture of the deceased as well as his/her favorite dishes. Family and friends share traditional delicacies made with honey such as Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead), buñuelos (fried sweet pastry), miniature sugar skulls and atole. -- Press Release, National Honey Board, October 2007 (PDF)
More info on Día de los Muertos:
Day of the Dead
Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos
Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos en México
Los Días de los Muertos at Web-Holidays
MSN Greetings: Día de los muertos
Thursday, November 1, 2007
California Halloween
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]