Day of the Dead Celebrations Begin with Altar-Making

Marigold Gateway of Compassion

The Parish-Zuniga Family shrine for the day of the dead is typical of the Aztec-Christian tradition brought to the US from Mexico.

According to the Longmont Museum, Longmont has the largest Day of the Dead celebration in Colorado.   It coincides with the Celtic Pagan-Christian celebration of Halloween and All Saints Day, October 31 and November 1.  Traditionally on Halloween night candles are lit for the children who have died and on November 1 those who passed away as adults are honored.

The Aztec belief is that loved ones who passed on return, guided by the candles, the smell of marigolds, and the thoughts and prayers of those making their altars. Photos of the deceased are put on the altars, as well as small things they used in life, such as Jesse's mother's matate for grinding corn and his father's lathe for making shoes for his 12 children.  Interesting to me was the symbol of monarch butterflies representing the dead returning.  In Michoacan, Mexico the return of migrating butterflies in the thousands days before the celebration makes it an apt symbol, though less for us in Colorado.  For my family, butterflies were a spring symbol of resurrection and transformation.  

Ofrenda for Juliette Lowe

On our altar are the photos of our parents, aunts, uncles, previous spouses and loved ones, my brother Paul.  I have an empty picture frame to represent Jesse Zuniga Jr. who was stillborn.  We'll light his candle on Halloween.  Of course we had many losses this year:  my former husband Wes Pixler, his father Paul, Jesse's former father-in-law Joseph Avalos.  I added dolls my Mom passed on to me from her collection of world dolls, to represent our combined ancestry.  As with photos, so are some dolls missing.

The Longmont Museum has many beautiful altars this year--including this detail from the Ofrenda for Juliette Lowe, the founder of Girl Scouting.  Another honors the actor Cantiflas.  A large one is for the matadors who died in Mexico's bull rings.  One moving display was made by three women who lost their babies.

Altar Commemorating Desecrated Graves of Ancestors

An interesting aspect of the Day of the Dead is the mocking of death by art featuring skeletons enacting common pleasures of the living--eating, drinking, making music.

Senora Catrina, Traditional

Sugar skulls are traditional, though the recipes I've seen emphasize that they don't taste good if you want them to hold together.   Other Day of the Dead cooking involves Pan de los Muertos, bread of the dead, a special holiday bread.  The altars commonly include favorite foods or beverages of those being honored.  I figured chocolate was a sure bet for our altar.

Warrior Skeleton