Why Dia de Los Muertos is My New Favorite Holiday

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Ofrenda : alter : dia de los muertos : day of the dead : celebration : coastal bend moms

 

It comes around every year — Dia de Los Muertos. Settled right after Halloween and before Thanksgiving, Dia de Los Muertos is a meaningful holiday that has its roots heavy in Mexico before it was acknowledged by other cultures and also celebrated in many other areas of the world.

Beginning on the night of Halloween and ending on All Saint’s Day, the holiday celebrates the deceased with decadent offerings, parades, and plenty of joy— for Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration of the life of the dead. Casual observers of the holiday may see it as any other event, but for those that take the coveted time seriously, it means so much more.

For instance, at least in my case, it is important for me to share my culture with my family, and son because I am part of a mixed-race couple. As such, my husband and I find that we want to share many special things from both our backgrounds, and for me, Dia De Los Muertos is one of the best holidays to showcase because it truly shows the passion of our people. This is one of the many reasons I am also very excited to be living in a city that takes this celebration to the next level. 

The Dia De Los Muertos festival in Corpus Christi is set to draw over 20K people this year with their own inspirational showcases of dance, art, and more!

In addition, they also share pertinent elements of the holiday like highlighting the ofrenda. The ofrenda is an altar that you use to share items for those who passed. You typically will see families sharing favorite foods, photos, and adorning them in decoration and candles. 

Beyond the celebration itself, I believe that one of the most important elements of this celebration is the fact that it helps us recognize our past, know our family members even more than we did before, and cherish them. Before celebrating Dia de Los Muertos I never really stopped to ask or learn more about my relatives who have passed on— they were no longer living. That is the way the majority of us accept death, I believe, but for me, I have learned that accepting death does not mean we don’t stop celebrating their lives. For instance, until I had started celebrating the holiday, I did not know much about my grandparents who had passed on years ago Now, I know many things, like my grandfather’s favorite beer (Jax)  and my grandmother’s favorite flower (yellow roses), and of course even more deeper knowledge of their past. I don’t believe I would have ever really stopped and asked questions because there was never really a reason to do so. 

Dia de Los Muertos is tradition to me.

The ritual of bringing out items of my relatives who have passed on, painting our faces, eating the food that they once loved and getting new realizations each time, both good and bad. The knowing that my son and everyone after will do the same thing and that all of our memories will live on past our due date— it is comforting knowing such things to me. 

Yes, there are many other glorious and fun holidays.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas, for which I am also as excited, but I will never overlook Dia de Los Muertos and I hope you are inspired to celebrate too. 

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Pin Dia De Los Muertos _ Coastal Bend Moms

1 COMMENT

  1. Dia De Los Muertos is a beautiful confirmation to the memory of our love ones who have passed on. Thank you for this inspiring story and I am happy that you continue a tradition of a proud heritage.

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