Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday that is near and dear to the hearts of many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. However, it is also a holiday that is often misunderstood by those who do not celebrate it.
Since it is celebrated Nov. 1 and 2, many often think that it is the Mexican version of Halloween. In actuality, Dia de los Muertos is a holiday to honor the lives of loved ones who have passed away but it is by no means a depressing holiday. Those who celebrate believe that on this holiday, their loved ones who have died awaken to spend the day with them, so they create altars and take ofrendas, or offerings for the dead, to the graves of their loved ones and spend the day doing the things that their loved ones would do before they passed away, such as music, food, and various other activities.
The holiday, which is native to Mexico, combines Aztec rituals with Catholicism and is celebrated throughout Mexico, but most commonly in states such as Oaxaca, Michoacan, and Veracruz. It has grown to become a popular holiday in the U.S. in cities with large concentrations of Mexican-Americans.
Latinitas staff shared some of the ways they celebrate Dia de los Muertos!
Laura Donnelly, Latinitas Founder and CEO
I have a continual altar to my grandmother on my windowsill that I check in with daily. She was someone in my family that innately knew how to love unconditionally. I think I would have gone another not-so-good path if she wasn’t in my life. She literally and figuratively cheered for me throughout my life and was also very protective, even though she was blind for a lot of my childhood. When she died, I felt her presence very strongly for at least a year watching over me. It was my first year living alone in New York City and I know there were some poor choices made, like taking the subway at 2 a.m., where she was with me from train stop to doorway keeping me safe.
Vicky Garza, Latinitas Marketing and Development Director
Having grown up mostly in Miami surrounded by many different cultures and as the only Mexican-American family I knew, I wasn’t familiar with Dia de los Muertos until after I moved back to my hometown of Austin. After learning about the holiday, I fell in love with the idea that we celebrate the lives of our loved ones instead of mourn their death, especially after losing my dad to cancer at the age of 19. Since he is buried in another city and one of my sisters lives on the East Coast, my family is usually unable to visit his grave during Dia de los Muertos, but we try to go whenever the family is all together to decorate his gravestone and remember him at least twice a year. On Dia de los Muertos, I enjoy participating in one of the many celebrations that take place around town, my favorite being the Mexic-Arte Museum Viva la Vida parade and festival.
Arely Valenzuela, Latinitas Club Leader
Before coming to college in Austin, I celebrated my father with my family. His ashes are in an altar in my big sister’s house and every Nov. 1 we would bring him flowers, make coffee, and buy pan dulce from his favorite places, a panaderia near my house in Mexico and his favorite panaderia in El Paso, Bowie Bakery. We also buy his favorite cake to celebrate his birthday since it is on Nov. 27. After, we used to go to the main church in Juarez to see the Dia de los Muertos festival. We always say a long prayer for him and my brother, two sisters, and myself, write him a letter about how much we miss him. My mother usually sends a big portion of her paycheck to our relatives in Michoacán for flowers for my grandparents, uncles and aunts who have passed away. Later, our relatives send pictures to her and we add them to my father’s altar to say one last prayer for them.
Valarie Gold, Latinitas Club Leader
My family participates in many of the Dia de los Muertos traditions not just during the holiday, but year-round. One of these traditions is sharing stories with family of our deceased ancestors. My grandfather is the eldest of 14 brothers and sisters, so he enjoys talking about all the crazy things they got into when they were younger. My great-aunts and uncles also enjoy reminiscing about the times when my great-grandfather was still around and they often honor him during family prayer and gatherings. Another Dia de los Muertos tradition that my family takes much pride in is cleaning and decorating loved ones’ graves. Visiting graves is a commonly done and respectful thing to do in my family. Whenever we visit, we fill the grave with new flowers or holiday-related decorations (Easter, Christmas, etc.). These traditions are part of what keeps my family intact with their history, culture, and, of course, close to our family’s deceased.
Compiled by Ari Gonzalez
