The way we remember

Altars celebrate the lives of loved ones on Dia de Los Muertos

Story and photos by Felicia Frazar

Ileen Rangel smiles as she points toward a Christmas headband with the Nativity set on top.

The accessory sits in a jar of silk colorful flowers surrounded by photos and a collection of specifically selected items on an oferenda in Rangel’s home. It is Rangel’s first time creating an altar for Dia de los Muertos, and she is doing so in honor of her mother, who died earlier this year.

“She loved Christmas, so I bought a little headband that has the Nativity set on it,” she said.

Rangel struggles with the loss of her mother, and has found creating the altar helps bring back wonderful memories.

“It helps you putting the things out that she loves,” she said. “I think this soothes your soul, because you’re really just lost. I don’t want her to ever be forgotten, or my dad. My dad died when I was 15.”

“Nobody is really gone if there is somebody left to remember you,” her sister-in-law Cindy Rangel reminded her.

With Cindy’s help, Ileen built her first oferenda in her family’s living room. It is adorned with items that remind her of her mother, including a small porcelain set of mariachi singers.

A large rosary, four candles, calavaras, photos and momentos adorn the three-tiered oferenda in Ilene Rangel's home.

“She loved beautiful things and fun things,” Ileen said. “It is a huge hole that is not as hard to get past when you are surrounded with her stuff. I have her ashes there on her altar. I’ve been finding pretty things I know she would enjoy to put on her altar.”

Pictures of her parents, brother and other family members who have died over the years are prominently displayed throughout the three-tiered altar.

Ileen is taking a page from Cindy, who creates a large oferenda each year. She started her altar about 25 to 30 years ago in memory of her grandparents. While it started out small to include immediate family members, it slowly grew to incorporate extended family members, friends and neighbors, Cindy said.

“It is a good time to share stories, even with the kids,” she said. “At my house, it is a big party. We have these conversations.”

It was at Cindy’s home where Ileen previously honored her family. Now, she’s bringing the celebration of life to her own home.

“Everybody has been over there, but here, here I just feel more connected to her because it is just so fresh,” Ileen said.

The celebration of Dia de los Muertos dates back to pre-Columbian roots and evolved from Mezoamerican civilizations, said Yvonne De La Rosa, executive director of Teatro de Artes de Juan Seguin.

Once Catholicism was introduced, the civilizations were forced to change their traditions, incorporating Christianity into it and making it correspond to All Souls Day, De La Rosa said.

“This happened because of the Spanish colonists when they came into the indigenous people’s world and changed it all so it didn’t mirror at all what it was true to what they believed, but moreso of what the Spaniards believed,” she said.

However, it still had it’s core beliefs that the offerings would help the souls make the journey.

All oferendas are different, as they are personalized to the family; however, they each have the same elements of nature — fire, wind, water and Earth, De La Rosa said.

The flames of a candle help guide the souls back to Earth, while water quenches their thirst from the long journey, De La Rosa said.

“The wind can come in through the papel picado that you put onto the altar, because that blows in the wind,” she said. “The Earth is from the many dishes — food that is prepared and put on the altar, such as fruit, mole, chocolate — that they would eat.”

The altar has items that represent the person like a toy for a child or a favorite item for adults.

A large skull, copal and calaveras are musts when preparing an altar.

“You also need to have on your altar marigolds, that scent entices the spirit,” De La Rosa said. “At the same time, marigolds have short lives, which means we only want our dead to visit for a short time, then return to where they need to go. They only join us for a short time, 24 hours.”

The vibrant colors of the marigolds reminds those of the celebration that ensues, De La Rosa said.

“You’re not mourning their death, but celebrating their life.

As she makes adjustments to her altar, Ileen is happy to start this tradition and share it with her family.

“They love it,” she said. “They’re so excited that we were going to put one up too.”

Participating in the Dia de los Muertos celebrations was not part of the traditions

in many homes, including the De La Rosa house growing up. However, they are becoming more common, De La Rosa said.

“Our people are embracing that piece of our culture a little more,” she said. “In our home, we did not practice Dia de los Muertos and my mother, who lived in Mexico, also did not practice Dia de los Muertos. But our great grandmother practiced doing those things. A lot of times, the lost generation did not practice because their families wanted them to assimilate to the American way.”

De La Rosa attributed the rise in participation to Mexican-Americans wanting to connect to their roots, cultures and traditions. The celebrations are open to anyone who wants to make those connections to the departed, De La Rosa said.

“I think that is important in that this is not just a cultural tradition for our people,” she said. “It is derived from our people, but anybody can participate. If it brings healing, it brings healing.”

That kind of healing and connection is needed in the community right now, De La Rosa said.

“I see that our community is going to need some healing after all that has happened, the devastation as of late, of course,” she said. “Not just those who have lost somebody, but our medical personnel who have watched our people go. It gives you the time and space to feel the emotions you need to talk about the great things about this person, the impact that they made in your life and to recognize those pieces of that person.”

Dia de los Inocentes is celebrated Nov. 1, while Dia de los Muertos is Nov. 2. Both are about celebrating and honoring loved ones’ lives, not mourning their deaths.

“It helps to celebrate and realize that life is short,” Ileen said. “We can’t dwell on the negatives of life.”