Spirit of the celebration

Jose J. Santos

Today is a bittersweet day for some families. The day can be a

jarring mix of emotions: One minute, the room could be filled with

laughter, and the next, somber and silent as people dry tears welling

up in their eyes.

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a traditional Mexican

celebration that many Latino families celebrate locally. The purpose

of the day is to remember loved ones who have died.

For some, this celebration actually continues for a few days.

There are meals, trips to the cemetery and most importantly, many

moments of reflection.

The roots of the Day of the Dead are in pre-conquest Mexico. The

celebration has grown and evolved for hundreds of years, mixing

elements of Catholicism and pre-Columbian tradition, to become widely

celebrated in the Latino world.

The spirit of the celebration has remained constant: Death is

nothing to be afraid of and a natural part of life.

The faithful believe those who have died are just in another land,

one they journey from every year on Nov. 2.

YOUNG AND OLD: ONE FAMILY’S TRADITION

Paty Madueno has been looking forward to Dia de los Muertos this

year. The Costa Mesa community leader celebrates the occasion every

year with her family, but this one is especially poignant for Paty.

A year has passed since her father died, losing a long battle with

cancer. On the altar in the Madueno family home, remembrances will be

set up for her father, Oscar Larriva, who Madueno says enjoyed a good

joke more than anything.

“He used to tell my mother, ‘You know you’re married to a very

important man. You’re not an actress, but you’ve got an Oscar,’”

Madueno remembers.

Pictures of her father will sit on the altarcito, translated as

“little altar,” aside pictures of the mother of her husband, Leo, and

the family’s grandparents. The altar will also have images of

different saints, the Virgen de Guadalupe and the Sacred Heart of

Jesus, all reminders of the family’s Catholic faith and dedication to

prayer.

The ofrendas, or offers, for Paty Madueno’s father will include

two cigarettes -- because he loved to smoke -- a nice piece of steak

and, of course, a glass of beer.

Paty Madueno appreciates the mix of the day’s emotions, an aspect

of the celebration that has been around since its birth in the Aztec

and Mayan cultures.

“We have great reverence for the dead; we laugh with the dead.

There are picnics at the cemetery where people laugh and cry. There

are guitars; people sing; we celebrate,” Paty Madueno said. “We see

death as another cycle in life.”

“It’s an important holiday, a way to get together with the rest of

the family,” Leo Madueno said. That’s a lot of people for Leo

Madueno, who grew up in a family of 11.

“Every year we sing and dance. I eat a lot which I’m looking

forward to,” Leo Madueno said. “It’s a way for the kids to keep the

tradition.”

Paty Madueno remembers her father every time she thinks of a Day

of the Dead poem about la muerte, death. The poem translates as “I

laugh about death because he doesn’t do anything to me.”

Paty Madueno said her father lived his life this way, until he was

actually getting close to slipping way. During that difficult time,

Paty Madueno comforted him, reminding him of the lesson he had taught

her as a child. She spent a lot of time with her father in those

final days.

“The last four years of his life, I knew him better than any

time,” Paty Madueno said.

She intends to pass these memories on to her 7-year-old

granddaughter, Melania, who will help celebrate the day with her

family this year.

“We do these traditions to remind the kids where they came from,”

Paty Madueno said. “It’s really good to know where you come from, so

it will influence where you are going.”

The young in the Madueno house, such as Melania, will help build

the altar with their older relatives, who will recount stories for

them about the family members that have died.

“The memory of who these people were, we pass on,” Paty Madueno

said. “And at the same time we laugh about some memories, we cry

because we miss them.”

AN OFFERING FOR LOVED ONES

An important part of the Day of the Dead celebration is the altar.

The memorial honors family members or friends that have passed. It

is meant to remind the living of all the things that made their loved

ones special.

The faithful believe the altars will help spirits who are

traveling from the other side by providing them with things they

loved in life.

If you’d like to understand and experience this honored Mexican

tradition, take time to remember someone in your life by assembling

this altar.

After including these basic alter items, make your own

personalized items to complete your tribute.

THE BASICS

The altar should have three tiers. Where you place things is up to

you.

THE PICTURE

The most important part of a Day of the Dead altar is the portrait

of the family member or friend.

LIGHT MY WAY

Place candles of all shapes and sizes all over the altar. The

light is believed to guide the dead back to the land of the living.

SWEET SCENT

Flowers are used to provide a sweet fragrance, pleasing to the

traveling spirit. Yellow marigolds are traditionally used. Sometimes,

families create a path with flower petals, believing this is

additional help for the returning loved one.

A CLEAN SPIRIT

Soap, water, a towel and sometimes perfume or cologne is provided

in case spirits want to freshen up after the long journey. Anything

the loved one enjoyed using to groom themselves during their life can

be put on the altar. Sage or incense is burned to ward off evil.

THE MAIN COURSE

Food and beverages are an important part of the altar. Pan de

muertos, or bread of the dead, is the traditional food provided. It

is believed that the spirits may be hungry after their long journey

and may need nourishment. Tamales, a pastry made with corn dough, or

mole, a thick sauce made of varying ingredients, are also used. Most

families include items that were beloved by their family member in

life, whether it be beer or a sirloin steak.

FESTIVE DECORATIONS

Papel picado, or decoratively cut tissue paper, is used to

decorate the bottom of the altar. Color the skulls and place them on

the altar. Also, toy skeletons and sugar candy shaped like skulls are

used as decorations.