Janal Pixán

Día de Los Muertos/ Day of the Dead

Content Standards "History-Social Science" Addressed in This Lesson:

A Child's Place in Time and Space. Students describe the human characteristics of familiar places and the varied backgrounds of American citizens and residents in those places.

Recognize the ways in which they are all part of the same community, sharing principles, goals, and traditions despite their varied ancestry; the forms of diversity in their school and community; and the benefits and challenges of a diverse population.
Compare the beliefs, customs, ceremonies, traditions, and social practices of the varied cultures, drawing from folklore.

¿Qué es Janal Pixán?

Janal Pixán (ha-nal peesh-an) translates to 'food of the spirits', it is the Maya celebration of the Day of the Dead.

For this festivity, people in Yucatan prepare special dishes, including Pib, a type of tamale wrapped in banana leaves that is cooked underground for many hours
How is the Day of the Dead celebrated by your family? Do you celebrate janal pixán?

Lesson Base/ Resources Needed:

Chicano Jr.'s Mexican Adventure page 5. See image of Day of the Dead altar and comment on its design and the paper decorations. What does this picture suggest?
"El Pib" YouTube video
We encourage you to decorate your classroom and invite your students to bring food to celebrate!
To use the resources below that highlight Day of the Dead events in San Francisco
Black Lives Matter coloring activity listed below by Favianna Rodriquez serves to connect Latine and Black communities and to remember the lives of people who have lost their lives due to police violence.

Chicano Adventure (page5)

Guiding questions:

- - Does anyone know the name of the altar Chicano Jr. is looking at?
  - While Dia de los Muertos is celebrated across the world, there are many different ways it is celebrated. Today, we are going to learn the history of Hanal Pixán and how to celebrate Dia de los Muertos here, in San Fransisco.

"El Pib"/ Janal Pixán:

Watch the 14 minute Maya film with subtitles in English and Spanish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xodD3yNObo

Explain to the class that janal pixán, which means food for the spirits or souls, is the Yucatec Maya term for Day of the Dead.

Guiding questions before watching the video:
- Have you participated in Day of the Dead activities? (a parade in the city or preparing an altar for example)
- How do people prepare for Day of the Dead? What have you observed?
- Has anyone prepared an altar for Day of the Dead?
Questions after watching the video:
- What did you like about the video?
- What questions do you have about the video?
- What were the people in the video preparing for?
- How did they prepare for the feast of janal pixán?
- What was the special food being prepared for janal pixán?

Un Pib

Día de Los Muertos en San Francisco:

Plan to attend an activity that introduces students to Day of the Dead festivities locally

- - - Link to SF Día de Los Muertos events: https://www.dayofthedeadsf.org/
    - Every November second, Día de Los Muertos is hosted in Sol Park
    - Murmuration: an event at the Exploratorium including ceremony, poetry, ritual, and dance.
  - More events: https://secretsanfrancisco.com/dia-de-los-muertos-sf/

Actividad de Vocabulario en Español/ Maya:

Below is a matching activity to match the Spanish word to its Maya equivalent. The answer key can be found below!

luz/ sáas

espíritu/ pixan

ofrenda (comida)/ janal

Photo 1 was taken in Oaxaca City, México by Emma Pontius; photo 2 was taken by Emma Pontius; photo 3 was taken in San Cristobal, Chiapas by Emma Pontius; photo 4 was taken by Patricia Baquedano-López in San Francisco, California.

BLM/ Día de Los Muertos Coloring Activity:

Below is a BLM/ Dia de los Muertos papel picado (colored tissue paper that is cut) coloring activity by Favianna Rodriguez:

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