The Mexican/U.S. Latino holiday known as Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, falls on November 1 and 2. Today’s broad public celebration of this event has relatively recent origins in the United States. We know that for 250 years the Day of the Dead celebrations in Spanish/Mexican Borderland communities were private and modest. Even one hundred years ago, Day of the Dead was a private affair, usually celebrated by faithful families wishing to remember their loved ones. While the celebration has ancient roots, the cultural tradition is celebrated enthusiastically by thousands today in cities with large Latino populations.
Very good article Ricardo, it brought back memories of my Grandmother and I going to the cemetery in Piedras Negras, we would spend all day there. Grandma would clean all the gravesites of family, comadras,and friends of people she knew were not coming. We would take a lunch which we would eat there. We also ate oranges and sugar cane. The flowers were little golden mums and manos de Leon ,which is a fussy purple long stem flower. We would also have an alter like the one you showed for all of our departed family and friends that we had a picture of. Thank you y muchas Saludes. Carmen M. Perales.
Well done Ricardo; particularly the information on the private family tradition of honoring the deceased. I personally do not appreciate the commercialization of the cultural tradition...too much gringo misunderstanding and exploitation...Mario Longoria
Very good article Ricardo, it brought back memories of my Grandmother and I going to the cemetery in Piedras Negras, we would spend all day there. Grandma would clean all the gravesites of family, comadras,and friends of people she knew were not coming. We would take a lunch which we would eat there. We also ate oranges and sugar cane. The flowers were little golden mums and manos de Leon ,which is a fussy purple long stem flower. We would also have an alter like the one you showed for all of our departed family and friends that we had a picture of. Thank you y muchas Saludes. Carmen M. Perales.
Well done Ricardo; particularly the information on the private family tradition of honoring the deceased. I personally do not appreciate the commercialization of the cultural tradition...too much gringo misunderstanding and exploitation...Mario Longoria