Growing up in a traditional Hispanic-Catholic household, I never celebrated or recognized Dia de los Muertos.
I can recall seeing colorful skulls at my local H-E-B and believing it was associated with Halloween. It was easy for me to connect Dia de los Muertos to Halloween because the skulls looked like Halloween masks or costumes for sale.
However, over time I came to realize what Dia de los Muertos really was. Now, I understand the importance of setting up an altar, better known as an ofrenda. A picture and favorite item of your loved one is the most unique and among the most personalized items on the ofrenda. Candles and pan de muerto are more popular items to be placed on an ofrenda.
Along with placing pictures and items on the ofrenda another popular and quite important item is the marigold flower. Usually bright orange or yellow marigolds are used to be placed on the ofrenda. I was once told that the bright colors of the marigolds are chosen because they cheer up the dead.
After watching the popular Pixar film Coco, centered entirely around the Day of the Dead I gained insight on the holiday. I would agree that setting up an ofrenda is important, but the brief connection between the living and the dead during nightfall is the most important aspect.
This two-day holiday is meant to bring together the living and the dead, but I believe that the Day of the Dead is really for the living.
We, on earth, get to celebrate those who have departed and we also get to live a little bit like our loved ones for a day. We get to eat their favorite foods and wear their favorite colors.
We also get to inform the younger generations in our families of those who are departed and about the holiday in general.
If the Pixar movie Coco wouldn’t have been produced, Dia de los Muertos would not be as popular to the younger generation as it is now. It is up to us, the living, to bring the holiday and our loved ones back to life for a day. It’s the only holiday you’re able to celebrate lives and remember them.
