Dia de los Muertos by Monica Rodriguez

Dia De Los Muertos- It’s Not Mexican Halloween

BY MONICA RODRIGUEZ

Dia De Los Muertos or Day of the Dead, a long-standing Mexican tradition, is also becoming a well-recognized and widely celebrated cultural tradition within the United States, further strengthening our roots of cultural diversity. As of last year, the City of Ogden now hosts our own Dia De Los Muertos celebration. While speaking to the Director of Dia De los Muertos Ogden, Amir Jackson about the vision and intent of the local celebration he said, “our intent is to respect the tradition, educate the community, and build a legacy where the Dia De los Muertos celebration become an integral strand in the cultural fabric of Ogden.” Dia De los Muertos is celebrated November 1-3. It is important to know and understand that, although in close proximity and having what could be viewed as similar practices, it is not the Mexican Halloween, a major misconception. The Dia De los Muertos celebration is about honoring and celebrating the memory of your loved ones who have past ones. The themes of death associated with Dia De Los Muertos are not negative, rather meant to be embraced and viewed in a positive light. One of the key elements of the Day of the Dead is the Altar, or ofrendas. These Altars are created to welcome your loved one’s souls to demonstrate that they have not been forgotten. This year Ogden will host a community Altar in front of the Union Station, Amir said, “We didn’t want to completely bypass this year’s celebration so we made it a priority to find a safe way to celebrate and landed on hosting a community altar. We all have lost someone we care about, and this is a way for everyone to have a shared experience and honor our loved ones together as a community. Hopefully this will become an annual staple within the community” Typical items used to decorate your altar are pictures of the loved one you are remembering, flowers, religious items, sugar skulls, as well as something specific to your loved one. The altar is gone now but the two murals that go with the ofrenda will be available until November 20th. Who will you be celebrating?