BY LOUISE TAYLOR | The Statesman Los Días de los Muertos, or The Days of the Dead, is an ancient tradition born in Mexico. The festivities occur between October 31st and November 2nd. The popularity of the holiday has spread across the United States and decorations can now be found in supercenters nationwide.
The festivities are specifically associated with two days, one to remember the children (los angelitos) on Oct. 31 and one for the adults on Nov. 1.
Gustavo Villalobos of the Latino/Chicano Student Association explained that the spirits of the deceased come to visit their altars on these days.
In celebration of the tradition, the Multicultural Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth has assembled a display of brightly colored flowers, decorated calavera skulls and detailed paper cut-outs.
According to Susana Pelayo-Woodward, the director of the Office of Cultural Diversity, altars have been displayed for Los Días de los Muertos at UMD since 1994. The first exhibit was opened in the Tweed Museum of Art. When the Multicultural Center was opened in 2004, the presentation was moved.
Over that time, the Office of Cultural Diversity has accumulated donations of artwork from students at UMD. These are included in the altars each year. Pelayo-Woodward spends two days creating the exhibit and including things she feels are important to teach and incorporate into the curriculum.
Schools in the Duluth area will bring classes to the display in order to make paper flowers and learn more about the origins of the celebrations, including the different ways that people express grief.
“It’s always a positive way of celebrating those that have passed away that continue to be part of your life,” Pelayo-Woodward said. “Maybe they are not present but the memories of the person you love are still with you.”
Villalobos said the traditions vary across the country and in each individual family. He explained that in his own home the altars include some of the favorite foods of those who have passed away.
“We all get together, we usually bake bread and then we offer it in the altar,” Villalobos said.
Examples of the style of bread can be seen on the displays.
Traditionally, the altars contain framed photographs of loved ones who have died and are treated as a dedication to their memory.
Pelayo-Woodward incorporates Frida Kahlo into the display each year, having grown up learning about her political and cultural significance as an artist and as a Mexican woman. Cesar Chavez is another who has been included. Pelayo-Woodward described his importance to the Chicano civil rights movement in enabling unions to be permitted on many farms.
The exhibition of Los Días de los Muertos ofrendas will be on display in the Multicultural Center until Nov. 8. The Latino/Chicano Student Association is available for more information on individual traditions of this celebration and other aspects of the culture.