If Latin America is known for one thing it would have to be the way the people know how to celebrate life. Through food, dancing, festivals, parades and music the party lives on strong, even after death. This is especially the case on their annual holiday, El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Dating back over 3,000 years, the holiday is celebrated as a time to remember loved ones and, perhaps more importantly, a time for their lives to live on.
In viewing the celebration of El Dia de los Muertos from a distance, one is almost inclined to see it as a mockery of death. While there’s no denying that there is a certain nature of mockery to the holiday, the purpose serves much more. In the Mexican culture, it is believed that death is not an end to life, as many cultures claim, but rather a continuation of life. There is an understanding to death as taking 3 parts. The first of which is when our bodies don’t function. The second is when our bodies are lowered into the grave and the third is when our lives are forgotten and the memories are no longer lived on through our families. El Dia de los Muertos is a way to prevent the third death from taking place. Our lives truly then live on forever through memories and through our families.
The ritual is celebrated through art, festivities and joy every November. Families create altars in their homes that are dedicated to the deceased and give of their loved ones favorite food, drink and listen to their favorite music as if the dead are truly in their presence. They use skulls and skeletons, candles and marigold flowers to decorate the altars and their homes. Many spend the day in the cemetery in prayer and celebration.
The traditions of the holiday date back to the Aztecs and have been influenced by Catholicism and European traditions. Many regions of Latin America celebrate the event differently and the holiday has also spread to many other parts of the world, such as the United States. In this, communities of all cultures join together to learn of one another’s traditions and to celebrate in their commonalities. We invite you to join us, at El Centro de la Raza, in the celebration and to learn more about this unique and joyful holiday.