October is Birthday Month for Let’s Make Jam and this month we turned 8, Yeay, Happy Birthday Us!
As with every year, we celebrated with a birthday cake. This one, as you can see below however, was slightly different.
This month we also celebrated Día de Muertos.
Dia de Muertos
The Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican heritage everywhere around the world.
This party or festival lasts for several days (which is totally my kind of party BTW) and involves family and friends gathering to pray for, honour and remember friends and family members who have died, and helping to support their spiritual journey based in the belief that the souls of the ones gone can come back to this world on these days.
In Mexican culture, death is viewed as a natural part of the human cycle. Mexicans view it not as a day of sadness but as a day of celebration because their loved ones awake and celebrate with them. To help them celebrate and honour members past, they build alters called ‘Ofrendas’ so of course it goes without saying we built our own, furnishing it with memories and our own loved ones.
The alters can be quite complex creations of great symbolism as each element holds a specific meaning. Family members lay out photos of loved ones and calaveras (sugar skulls), surrounded by Aztec marigolds, treats and traditional foods. Salt is also usually placed on a plate to stop the souls of the returning from being corrupted by earthly temptations.
With the help of Bex Brown we had our own spin on the traditional ‘Mexican Quesadillas’, made with locally sourced Quesa’ de Oatcakes and Mexican Chilli Cheese, along with tortilla chips and dips. – Thank you Bex, they were delicious!
We also decorated our very own Calaveras whilst listening to the infectious sounds of The Mariachis (The UK’s No.1 Mariachi Band) It was and education, and I for one couldn’t get enough of their version of the Human Leagues ‘Don’t You Want me Baby’ and East 17’s ‘Stay Another Day
The most widely known Calaveras or Sugar Skulls are created with cane sugar and are decorated with items such as coloured foil, icing, beads, and feathers. It always AMAZES me how, when we can all be given the same materials, the same sets of instructions, the variations in deign are truly inspiring.
October also saw the launch of 2020’s County Show Craft Competition. The theme this time being ‘Over the Rainbow’. If you would like to know more head over to our Facebook page or come speak to a committee member at the meeting.
We also discussed Jam’s Christmas Craft Swap – please see poster for details :
Remember ladies, its our WI night this Friday 8th of November (every 2nd Friday of the month). This month we will be looking at Modern Calligraphy.
We will also have a hole host of the usual’s. Tea & Coffee will flow, cake will be shared in abundance and fun will be had by all (hopefully). So please come say hello.
And if you are new, come say Hi at the Newbie Station where we can show you the ropes (more importantly where to find the cake!) and introduce you to some lovely ladies.
Please don’t forget, if you have any donations for Period Power to bring them along with you. All donations are gratefully received.
We will of course be at the usual place – St. Wulstan Community Centre, Church Lane, Wolstanton, N.U.L ST5 0EH. At the usual time, doors open at 7.15 for a 7.30 start. Hope to see you there.
And finally: Please remember to sign up, to one or more, of our many social media pages. We can then keep you up to date with everything that is happening in the world of Jam, especially with items like the County Show etc.
You can keep up to date with all our shenanigans on Face Book, Insta, Twitter and of course the regular Web Site http://www.letsmakejame.co.uk
From the Let’s Make Jam Team, until next time
Let's Make Jam 
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