Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday celebrated November 1-2, to remember lost loved ones. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died by helping support their spiritual journey.
In the United States, celebrations are very similar to those in Mexico. In Texas, Arizona, and California, annual celebrations are held that combine elements of traditional Day of the Dead celebrations with those of pagan harvest festivals.
At SHG, Spanish classes celebrated the Day of the Dead. Spanish I classes used shoeboxes to create ofrendas, or small, collections of objects placed on a small altar to remember someone. Sophomore Caroline Corcoran recollects making the ofrendas. “I made my ofrenda about my niece who died young, while she was still in high school. This, for me, is one of the best parts of the Day of the Dead. We get the chance to keep these people alive in our hearts by remembering and celebrating them.” According to Sra. Melissa Richardson, Spanish II and IV students colored sugar skulls and wrote about what they would like to be in their ofrendas if they were to pass away. The Spanish III students created calaveras, small skeletal representations of a person, in order “to poke fun at people who are still living and imply that they are going to die soon.”
Spanish Club members also celebrated Día de los Muertos by building an altar. Sra. Richardson explained the meaning behind some of the symbols. “There are three levels, one to represent each heaven, earth, and the afterlife.” Club members also made use of papel picado, colored paper used to represent what is wanted for the deceased. Colored candles share the same purpose. “There are four candles on the first layer of the altar that represent north, south, east, and west.” The three sugar skulls placed on the altar represent the Holy Trinity. Incense is commonly placed on altars to elevate prayer to God. Marigold flowers, because they bloom annually, represent the dead returning to earth every year. Bread and water, though not on SHG’s altar, are usually placed to provide sustenance after the long journey from the afterlife back to earth.
This year, Spanish Club’s altar celebrated Leonard Nimoy, most famously known for playing Spock in the Star Trek TV shows and movies. Sra. Richardson says they chose him “because everyone knows Leonard Nimoy and he died this year.”
Día de los Muertos, although originally started in Mexico, can be celebrated in the United States with as much reverence as anywhere else. Day of the Dead is used as a time to remember the loved ones that we have lost and the joy they brought to our lives. May they stay in our hearts and our minds always.
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