Celebrate memories of lost loved ones on KPBS' digital community altar
Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a popular Mexican tradition devoted to celebrating death, life and memories of the departed. Its roots date back to before the arrival of the Spanish to the Indigenous peoples of Mexico, who held parties to help guide the departed to their final place of rest. It was also believed that the dead could return to the world of the living — at least temporarily.
This year KPBS is hosting a digital community ofrenda, or altar, where the community was able to submit a memory celebrating loved ones who have passed away.
It started with Indigenous rites, but was later influenced by Catholic rituals. It is observed by some beginning Oct. 28 for souls who suffered an accident, a tragedy or a violent death; Oct. 30 and 31 are dedicated to children who died and were not baptized; Nov. 1 is for the deaths of young children, and also known as All Saints’ Day; and Nov. 2 is All Souls’ Day for all adults.
Ways to remember those no longer alive vary and can include holding gatherings, visiting cemeteries, decorating tombstones, writing poems, and creating an ofrenda, or an altar. According to Mexico’s Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, altars in Mexico can include photos; food; skulls; pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, representing the cycle of life and death; candles believed to bring peace to lost souls; incense to purify the environment; and marigold flowers, also called cempasúchil, to help guide spirits to their altars and back to their places of rest.
