Halloween is fast-approaching, much to the pleasure of candy-loving children. The ancient Celts, who inhabited the area now occupied by Great Britain, Ireland and Normandy, believed that on this night, called “Samhain,” the spirits of the dead returned to earth, and they welcomed them with food and bonfires.
In the eighth century, the church attempted to foil this superstition by moving the Christian feasts of All Saints Day (honoring saints and martyrs, known and unknown) to Nov. 1 and All Souls Day (honoring all faithful departed) to Nov. 2, thereby giving these dates Christian significance. Today, Halloween has lost all religious meaning in the United States.
However, there is another holiday that falls during this same time period: “Day of the Dead” or “Dia de los Muertos.” This has been an important part of Hispanic culture for more than 3,000 years. When Spanish explorers arrived in Mexico during the 16th century, they were offended by the Aztecs’ practices in honoring the dead and wished to convert them to Catholicism. The priests succeeded in moving the Aztecs’ ritual to coincide with All Saints and All Souls Days, but the natives continued to focus on remembering and honoring the spirits of their beloved ancestors, family and friends. Rather than a time to fear and deny death, this event encourages people to accept death, contemplate the meaning of mortality and celebrate life.
On Oct. 26, Calvary Catholic Cemetery (2650 Madden Ave., San Jose), in association with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce-Silicon Valley, will present the 4th annual Dia de Los Muertos celebration. Calvary hopes that the celebration will grow to be San Jose’s premier event for annual Day of the Dead observances (much like a similar event that has been held for more than a decade at Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles’ oldest memorial park, has become in Southern California).
The event will include performances by local entertainers such as
• Manuel Romero
• Aztec Dance Group Capulli Tonalehqueh
• Folklorico Nacional Mexicano
• Lincoln High School’s Xoctil Cultura.
Before performing at the event, the children’s choir from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church will lead a procession from the church to the cemetery, in honor of an ancient Mexican tradition.
One of the key elements of the observance of this holiday in Mexico is the construction of memorial altars. Tables are set up and covered with cloth, crates are added to form empty shelves and are covered with “ofrendas” (offerings). Local junior high and high school students, organizations, businesses and individual artists will create displays.
Typical altars consist of a wide variety of articles, limited only by family members’ creativity.
• Candles to light the way of the spirits
• Flowers, especially “cempasuchitl” (marigolds), representing life
• Salt and water to quench the thirst of the traveling souls
• Incense, symbolizing prayers ascending to God
• Special foods that were enjoyed by the deceased
• Photos of the departed loved ones
• Crosses, crucifixes, prayer cards, rosaries and holy medals.
There will be other attractions such as face painting, skull decorating, “papeles picados” (traditional decorative craft using cut paper), as well as food trucks from vendors including Takoz Mod Mex, Gold Rush Eatery and Madd Mex Cantina. For more information, call (650) 428-3730 or email [email protected].
Chuck Flagg is a retired teacher with a passion for religion. Reach him at [email protected].
