By Ben Battafarano OMAHA, Neb. — Americans are gearing up for Halloween on Thursday. But for Omaha’s Mexican-American community, another celebration is approaching on Friday and Saturday: Dia De Los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead. The holiday is a celebration and remembrance of loved ones who have passed, and coincides with the Christian All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, respectively.
While the Christian and Mexican traditions overlap, they are held distinct. Alex Montes, head teacher for the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Education Center, says that the celebration isn’t a part of Christian religious education.
“It’s more like a tradition, it’s for all Mexicans. It doesn’t matter if you are Catholic or not, because it’s also coming from [the] ancients, the Aztecs.”
Ofrendas, or remembrance altars for the deceased, are one of the most visible aspects of the holiday. Ofrendas typically have pictures of loved ones, their favorite foods and hobbies, and marigolds, the traditional flower associated with the holiday.
A public ofrenda has been set up in El Museo Latino, or the Latino Museum, since early October. El Museo Latino founder and CEO, Magdalena García, says that the ofrenda and Dia de Los Muertos started as a way to preserve Mesoamerican tradition in the face of colonialism in the 16th century.
“At the time of the conquest, the Indigenous could no longer place their deities on the offerings or the altars,” said García and they were prohibited from a lot of the art forms and a lot of the things they were doing.”
