And for my grandfather, he’s going to have some beer too. For my grandmother, I’m going to have some of her favorite candies and spices. There’s going to be Fireball, pan de muertos and Budweiser on there for her. I’ve been really thinking about my aunt that passed away, and we’ve been telling stories. I’m making my ofrenda in my heart, because we’re in the middle of moving. “My name is Maria, I’m a Mexican American woman from Hawaii, and we’re now living in Portland. just to spread awareness to everyone around us that there’s so many different cultures that are where you’re from.” Maria: I was born right here in Portland, Oregon. I actually purchased some bumper stickers, just to spread awareness we all have different heritages and we all have different family histories. “Hello, my name is Zachary, and in memory of my family and ancestors from Sonora, Mexico, this year at the ofrenda we will be putting homemade carnitas and carne asada, as well as spreading awareness about our heritage and culture. I believe this this year is very special for more people, because a lot of people have gone with COVID.” I know it’s a beautiful, beautiful celebration in different places in Mexico food, family, love for the people that are no longer with us. Just trying to keep the celebration, and living in a different place. I used to do it when I was a kid, I didn’t do it later on because I was out of Mexico. I’m just trying to keep my roots, my customs. Some beer that he used to like to drink, the music that he used to love to listen to, I think one of them was Bob Dylan. I put in some coffee that he used to love, some of the food that he used to eat - peanuts, snacks, vegetables - and of course, the pan de muerto as an offering. Since I’ve been living in Portland, I’ve been honoring my father-in-law, making an altar for him. I’m from Guadalajara, living in Portland, Oregon. We asked you what Día de los Muertos means to you this year, who you’re remembering, and what you’ve included in your ofrenda (and you sent us some pictures, featured in the photo gallery above). While the holiday is most often associated with Mexico, it’s observed by Mexican and other Latin American communities around the world, including here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a celebration: of life, and death, and the relationship between the two. And it’s not a solemn day of mourning either. These offerings are meant to help guide and tempt loved ones’ souls back to the living world to celebrate with their relatives.ĭespite increasing commercialization of the holiday in the United States, Día de los Muertos is not the Mexican equivalent of Halloween. The ofrendas usually include photos of the dead, candles, bright orange marigolds, pan de muerto, sugar skulls, and some of the dead’s favorite things: foods, drinks or toys for children. Here in the mortal world, people build elaborate altars, or ofrendas, to honor the memories of their loved ones. According to folkloric tradition, the spirits of the dead have a brief window of time when they can visit their living relatives on Nov. So they're now adopting this tradition and just owning it and I'll take that any day," Xoch said.The Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos - also called Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead in English - has roots in Indigenous culture. "Just in the last few weeks, a lot of my clients coming in for marigolds, who are mostly young Latinx women, told me this is the first time they are celebrating Día de los Muertos. Whereas growing up she saw many of her peers reject more indigenous aspects of Latino culture in an attempt to assimilate, now, she says, they are embracing it. But there is an upside, she said.īecause it's become part of mainstream culture, "It's become easier for young Latinx or brown people who are first or second generation to accept their heritage and be proud," Xoch said. Andi Xoch, founder and owner of Latinx With Plants in East Los Angeles, said the growing popularity of the holiday has made it "easier for young Latinx or brown people who are first or second generation to accept their heritage and be and be proud."Īndi Xoch, founder of Latinx With Plants in East Los Angeles, told NPR she is concerned about the commercialization and the borderline or sometimes outright cultural appropriation of what was once an indigenous holiday.
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