October 2019 | Vol. 5 Iss. 10
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DAY OF THE DEAD
LETS THE LIVING HONOR THE DEARLY DEPARTED By Heather Lawrence | heather.lawrence@mycityjournals.com
T
he Day of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos, falls fast on the heels of Halloween. Day of the Dead is Nov. 1 and 2 but it’s a separate holiday, not an extension of Halloween. After you’ve come down from your sugar rush, here’s how and why to celebrate Day of the Dead. “Day of the Dead is a culturally significant holiday in Mexico and other Latin American countries. It’s not spooky or scary. Essentially, it’s about accepting that death is a part of life and honoring loved ones who have passed away,” said Taylor Timmerman, development coordinator for the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City. Timmerman said the Día de los Muertos event at UCCC was begun by requests from the community. “Our event has grown over the years. This year is our 16th annual Day of the Dead celebration, and it’s an all-day event,” Timmerman said. Tickets for the Nov. 2 event are available on Eventbrite. The UCCC event features food, traditional Mexican dancers and performers, ofrendas set up by community members, a Catrina contest and an art exhibit. The art exhibit runs Oct. 24-Nov. 6. Can non-Latinos/as celebrate? “Yes! It’s a neat holiday because it’s honoring those who have passed away, and that’s something everyone can relate to. If you aren’t familiar with it or haven’t celebrated it before, have an open mind about how it’s celebrated and what it means,” Timmerman said. A key thing for novices to know about is the ofrenda. “An ofrenda is an altar used to honor the lives of loved ones who have passed,” said Brittany Stephenson, who teaches Introduction to Folklore at Salt Lake Community College.
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Employees at the Blue Iguana in Salt Lake City celebrated Day of the Dead with face painting in 2018. (Photo courtesy Kris Cappaert/Blue Iguana)
“The altars are typically set up in cemeteries, homes and churches. They contain photographs and objects significant to the loved one(s) along with traditional materials such as candles, sugar skulls, marigolds, monarchs and papel picado (colorful paper banners),” Stephenson said. Stephenson began creating altars as a class project in
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2016. Their altar is displayed at the UCCC event. “The marigolds symbolize death, and the butterflies are the visiting spirits,” Stephenson said of the traditional décor. The 2017 Disney-Pixar movie “Coco” showed the bridge between the land of the living and the land of the dead as paved with marigold petals. Continued page 14
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