Day of the Dead Vocabulary [Effortless English DVD1 > LV1 > 01]

Day of the Dead Vocabulary

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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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