Concurso de Calaveritas

Question

que significa 'calaveritas'?

I replaced the double quotes in your question with single quotes so Internet Explorer can link to it. - KevinB, Oct 22, 2011

Answer 1

It´s the diminutive form of "calavera" ...... "skull."

It also has other meanings as well, but when you look up a word you need to type it without the diminutive suffix to find it.

calavera.

(Del lat. calvar?a, cráneo).

1. f. Conjunto de los huesos de la cabeza mientras permanecen unidos, pero despojados de la carne y de la piel.

2. f. Mariposa de la familia de los Esfíngidos, de cuerpo grueso y peludo, con un dibujo en el tórax que recuerda a una calavera.

3. f. El Salv. Enchufe eléctrico cuadrado que tiene varias conexiones.

4. f. Méx. Cada una de las dos luces de la parte trasera de un vehículo.

5. m. Hombre de poco juicio y asiento.

6. m. Hombre dado al libertinaje.

Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

Answer 2

OK, but here in "Concurso de Calaveritas", it refers to a Mexican tradition related to the Day of the Death ("Día de los Muertos") celebrated on Nov. 1st. People write humorous verses called "calaveritas", about how Dead comes to take their friends, colleagues, family, celebrities who are actually alive.

1. humorous verses related to Mexican Day of the Death

2. also, hand-sized sugar-figures of skulls with the name of our live friends, colleagues or loved ones in the forehead. You give them as presents to your friends, colleagues or loved ones to eat. Sweet ficitonal death.

It is a creative way to scare away our fears of our loved ones imminent death one day, by highlighting with this joke how good it feels to be alive and be able to laugh together at this hipotetical death.