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Cultures vary in their beliefs and observances regarding death, the final stage in the life cycle. The human skeleton plays a key cultural symbol of lifes end. This lesson familiarizes students with different cultural perspectives and representations of the skeleton.
OBJECTIVES :
Students will: Recognize the symbolism of the skeleton Examine possible cultural significance of skeletons and bones Delve into the historical background of the significance of skeletons and bones
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GAME 1:
Knucklebones was a popular game of skill in ancient Greece for both children and adults. The game is very similar to the modern-day game of jacks, except that it is played without a ball. The Greeks used sun-bleached neck vertebrae (for example, the bones from a chicken neck) as the ball and playing pieces for the game. The object of the game is similar to jacks in that each player must toss one bone into the air, pick up the others, and then catch the first bone before it falls, all with one hand. Five to nine bones are used to play the game.
GAME 2:
Knucklebones was also a dice game played with only four bones. These sun-bleached vertebrae were called Knucklebones. The pieces always had four flat sides plus two ends. The best throwwhen each die landed differentlywas called Aphrodite, after the goddess of love and beauty. The worst throwwhen they all landed alikewas called the dog (see Knucklebones: A Game of Skill handout).
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2001 UTHSCSA "Positively Aging" a trade mark of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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Halloween
For most ancient cultures, the beginning of Autumn signified the start of natures dying season; it was the end of the harvest. The timing of our modern-day celebration of Halloween is no different. It is a time of reflection about those who have passed away. Over the past three-thousand years, Halloween has had many names and various pastoral and agricultural people have celebrated the end of the harvest in different ways. However, our present-day Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic feast of the dead: Samhain (sau-in). This makes Halloween one of our oldest holidays. The Celtic regions of Great Britain and Northern France celebrated the close of the harvest, the Eve of Winter, and the start of the Celtic New Year, on October 31 and November 1. By this time of year, the last of the crops have been brought in and the cattle and sheep have been herded into the valleys for the winter, and the Samhain would begin. The Celts believed that during the nighttime hours between these two days, there was a crack in time when good and evil spirits were able to visit the living. Celtic tribes would light bonfires to scare away the evil spirits and light the way for the good spirits so that they may visit with their friends and relatives. After the Roman conquest of Great Britain and the other regions inhabited by Celtic peoples, the Samhain was combined with the Roman celebration in honor of Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, which took place on November 1. Then in the 9th Century (835 AD), the Roman Catholic Church designated November 1st as a church holiday to honor all canonized and unknown saints. Originally, this day was known as the Feast of All Saints, or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later, the Christian church would make November 2nd a holy day, the Feast of All Souls, to honor those people who passed away in the faith. These two days were celebrated with bonfires (bone fires), parades, and people dressed in a variety of costumes and masks. Over time, these days became known as All Saints Day and All Souls Day with the preceding night being referred to as All Hallows Eve the night when all unsaved souls came out to harass the living. The origin of the present-day term, Trick or Treat! may be found in the Middle Ages. Since good and evil spirits were believed to come out during the night, people would leave an offering of food and drink on the doorstep. In this way, homeowners hoped to obtain the blessings of good spirits and chase away the evil spirits. People, usually dressed in costumes of saints angels and devils would go from house to house imitating the spirits and begging for treats. If no food or drink was offered by the homeowner, then a practical joke, a trick, was played on them. During the 18th
2001 UTHSCSA "Positively Aging" a trade mark of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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century, children would beg for sweet soul cakes in return for saying prayers for the dead this was the treat. For those people who did not offer the treat, a trick would be played on them. The custom of Halloween was brought to America by Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1700s. Halloween parties evolved where people, dressed in costumes, would gather together to dance and play parlor games such as Bobbing for Apples. Beggars would still go door-to-door asking for treats to benefit children and the poor; and practical jokes seemed to be limited to removing gates, soaping windows, and switching shop signs. But times have changed! From the early 1900s through the mid-1960s was the Golden Age of Halloween. American industry produced a wide variety of party accessories that were displayed and used during the celebration. Over this 60-year period, Halloween costumes were no longer restricted to devils and angels, but expanded to include goofy characters, popular cultural figures, and wacky vegetable shapes. After World War II, the Japanese flooded the market with a cornucopia of Halloween products. However, Halloween activities have changed. Due to American social influences, the rise of satanic cults, and Hollywoods sinister characters possessed with evil, Americans have become fascinated with gore and death. All of this has manifested itself into many destructive Halloween trends. In the 1960s, pre-Halloween pranks turned into vandalism in some parts of the United States, with some people breaking windows and destroying property. In the 1970s, nationwide reports of candy being loaded with pins and razor blades permeated the airwaves. During the 80s and 90s, Halloween vandalism escalated to include arson, or the deliberate setting of fires, which destroyed private property and businesses. Today, a safe and sane Halloween is being sought. Many Halloween decorations are fluffy and cute. Parents take their children to malls for Trick-or-Treating, and private parties have become the norm. Yes, the mystical spirits of the Celts are gone, yet Halloween still survives as a harvest season holiday and a magical time for children.
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2001 UTHSCSA "Positively Aging" a trade mark of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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ACTIVITY 1A: THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN Student Background Information Sheet
Halloween
Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, started as a Celtic celebration. It began with a feast to celebrate the Eve of Winter, October 31, and the start of the Celtic New Year on November 1. The nighttime hours were viewed as a crack-in-time when good and evil spirits were able to visit the living. Celtic tribes would light bonfires to scare away the evil spirits. After the Roman conquest of Great Britain and the other regions inhabited by Celtic peoples, the Roman celebration of Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, which took place on November 1, was combined with the Celtic feast. Then in the 9th century, the Roman Catholic Church designated November 1st as the Feast of All Saints, for canonized and unknown saints, and November 2nd as the Feast of All Souls for those who had passed away in the faith. Over time these two days became known as All Saints Day and All Souls Day with the preceding night being referred to as All Hallows Eve, the night when all unsaved souls came out to harass the living. The origin of the present-day term Trick or Treat may be found in the Late Middle Ages when children would go a-souling. Children would beg for sweet soul cakes in return for saying prayers for the dead this was the treat. For those who did not offer a treat, the children would play a trick on them. The custom of Halloween was brought to America by Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1700s. It has evolved into a fun-loving celebration centered around children.
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2001 UTHSCSA "Positively Aging" a trade mark of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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ACTIVITY 1A: THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS Background Information Sheet
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flowers would be yellow. There would also be candy skulls, sticks of sugar cane, and pan de muerto. Other items on the altar would be photographs of the deceased, some cherished objects, and dishes of their favorite food and drink. Every altar always has a candle for those who have no one to remember them. The offering of food, like the offering of flowers, is a symbol of love and respect. However, the dead do not eat the food in the conventional sense. They absorb the foods essence. Many Latin American cultures believe that the food will be a source of strength for the deceased as it is for the living. After the dead have eaten their fill and left the home or gravesite, then the food is taken to a relatives or neighbors home and shared with everyone. In this way, the living have given to the dead, and the dead have given to the living.
Source: The Days of the Dead: Mexicos Festival of Communion with the Departed by Rosalind Rosoff Beimber, San Francisco, CA, 1991.
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Halloween
El Da de los Muertos
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mixing bowl dients in a large the ingre 1. Combine all of until well mixed. d until smooth. d paper and knea on waxe 2. Place mixture until needed. aled plastic bags in se 3. Store mixture
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CROSSWORD PUZZLE
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CLUES
ACROSS 1. A death symbol on a pirate flag may be a ____ heart. 4. Another name for the United Kingdom is Great ____. 5. Large island off SE coast of Africa. 8. A ____ supports the body and provides a framework. 10. A pirates main weapon of defense was a ____. 12. One is given limited ____ to surrender ones treasure to the pirates. DOWN 1. Another name for a pirate. 2. Sands running through an hour ____ signifies that time is running out or getting short. 3. Blackbeard was a ____ by profession. 6. A symbol of death was a skull and ____bones or swords. 7. Outrage, fury. 8. Deaths Head. 9. Jolly ____. 11. Demise or deceased.
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G L A S S I
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L D E A
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2001 UTHSCSA "Positively Aging" a trade mark of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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From: Ancient Greece by Susan Purdy and Cass R. Sandah. Franklin Watts: New York, 1982.
2001 UTHSCSA "Positively Aging" a trade mark of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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Resources Used in Unit 12, Lesson One, Cultural Representations of Skeletons and Bones Child Education, Learning Through Play: A Pirate Project, Jan 1, 1995, Vol. 72 No. 1, Page 24. Lincoln, Margarette, The Pirates Handbook, New York, Cobblehill Books, 1995. Wright, Rachel, Pirates: Facts, Things to Make, Activities, New York, Franklin Watts, Inc. 1991. Beimler, Rosalind R., The Days of the Dead /Los Das de Muertos, San Francisco, Ca., 1991. World Wide Web Sites Jolly Roger http://www.dreamcatchers.net/treasure/jolly_roger.html Jolly Roger http://www.inkyfingers.com/pyrates/flags/ Pirates http://www.piratesinfo.com/ The Pirate Flag http://www.ebs.hw.ac.uk/EDC/CAC/pirates/life.htm Dia De Los Muertos http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/ Dia De Los Muertos http://www.holidays.net/halloween/muertos.htm Halloween http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm Halloween http://www.holidays.net/halloween/story/htm
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