Today we attended the Dia de los Muertos celebration at the Hispanic community center in the south valley. Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday celebrating and honoring friends and family members that have died. This holiday is also known as Day of the Dead.
It is celebrated the day after Halloween, on November 1, in connection with the Catholic All Saints Day.
Although we are not Mexican, it is a New Mexican tradition.
We've come to celebrate, live, experience and learn another culture.
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| 2011 Dia de los Muertos |
Upon entering we were greeted with traditional Mexican folk music.
Beautiful, talented, professional dancers swept the reception floor.
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| Mmmm...... |
We were offered an assortment of horchata and aqua frescas.
The reception refreshment table carried a wide variety of Mexican hor d'oeuvres like empanadas, biscochitos, tortillas, conchas, sopaipilla, posole and other items.
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| Warm dessert cup of fruits, nuts and cinnamon |
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| Toasty and super spicy finger sandwich |
The Dia de los Muertos art gallery was filled with colorful imaginative images of skulls, skeletons and calaveras.
During the day of the dead, alters are built in honor of the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, candles, along with photos and memorabilia. Also favorite foods and beverages of the departed are also included in the display.
The legend is that people die three deaths.
The first death is when our bodies cease to function; when our hearts no longer beat of their own accord, when our gaze no longer has depth or weight, when the space we occupy slowly loses its meaning.
The second death comes when the body is lowered into the ground, returned to Mother Earth and out of sight.
The third death, the most definitive death, is when there is no one left alive to remember us.
Therefore Day of the dead is celebrated to keep the memory of your loved one alive.
The act of preparing an altar is done for honor and respect for those that have passed. The alter provides a special time to remember, and to transform grief into acceptance. The living invite the spirits of the family to return home for a few hours of laughter, tears and memories.
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| Elaborately festive alter |
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| Alters for loved pets are included too |
We ended our day with a festive mariachi performance in the auditorium.
As we exited the children were all given Mexican candy to take home to enjoy.
! Feliz Dia de los Muertos!
