Day of the Dead Audio

[00:05.50] 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.

[00:17.89] 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 [podziwiać] the beauty of all the colorful flowers.

[00:34.32] 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.

[00:47.25] 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 [też nie].

[01:00.33] I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach [podejście]. I like the way they remember and celebrate those who have passed away. I like that they acknowledge[uznawać] death, instead [zamiast] of denying it [zaprzeczać to] 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 [doceniać] life.