As we exit October and enter November, many people are not aware of another major holiday that follows right after Halloween, unknown to most who don’t live outside of a major suburb.
Dia De Los Muertos, or simply Day of the Dead, is a Latin holiday steeped in tradition and culture for hundreds of years for a large group of America’s population and in recent years has only increased in popularity. As many different backgrounds blend into our school’s culture, we have groups like OLAS which is hosting a display event on November 8th for the community to bring more awareness to the ancient tradition.
This deep, rooted tradition holds significance to each Latin person in a unique way, as traditions and cultures have acclimated to United States customs more and more.
A first-generation Mexican American and a second-year student Hilary Carillo, who like many balances both work, school, and family life, gives her perspective on the holiday and its significance to her family.
Like many growing up and raised in the States, Dia de los Muertos was not as celebrated or mentioned nearly as much as Halloween.
Carillo knew the importance of Dia de los Muertos even as a child, but an event would forever change the meaning and significance of the holiday and its traditions to her and her family.
After the tragic passing of her cousin, Hilary would visit her aunt’s house months after the event to discover his room had not been touched since his passing, and was preserved in a revered respected manner.
As years accumulated, her aunt slowly built a shrine (Offrenda) over a period of time to honor her son in his passing, to be remembered every year with warmth and care to show compassion to those passing on.
“Mexican people hold the dead in their homes and hearts forever,” Carillo said. “We light candles, we make their favorite foods, and we talk about them as though they were still here. Day of the Dead to me is a day to look at where I was when I lost them and how proud they would be to see me grow. It is a celebration of the fact that they had lived and been a part of my life. It is a day to remember them and everything they enjoyed and shared with me.”
