Dia de los Muertos
Day of the Dead
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In keeping with the Catholic calendar, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated over a three day period from the eve of October 31 through the eve of November 2. Preparations typically begin months before the holiday is celebrated. Altars are constructed for the household, cemetary graves, and often civic spaces. The Day of the Dead is a holy feast day when families gather to pray and remember their deceased loved ones. Some may visit their family members’ gravesites, spending time in prayer and beautifying the resting places with candles, flowers, and personal memorabilia. They also may bring a meal that includes the favorite foods of the deceased. It is tradition to attend Mass and families also create altars in their homes to remember and pray for the deceased. Home altars are adorned with candles, flowers, photos, and mementos, the home altar becomes the centerpiece of the celebration. “The feast and the altar of the deceased have nothing sacrilegious or satanic about them.” says Father Dominguez, adding that the skulls popularly depicted in Day of the Dead artwork are a way of acknowledging our mortality and reminding us to aspire for eternal life with God in heaven. On Day of the Dead home altars, Father Dominguez says, “Christ is placed on high, remembering that He is our King, and we were redeemed by Him. It is followed by images of saints, and then come the photographs of our deceased relatives, for whom we pray that they will win heaven.”