We had a beautiful celebration of Dia de Los Muertos. Our community day of recollection was held on this same day. Our first activity was at 8:30 am (Morning Prayer for the Dead). Right before our first meditation, Tomas Guillen spoke to the community of the traditional Dia de los Muertos. The idea of this presentation was to highlight some of the symbols contained in the Altar de Muertos and also to present the dual reality of this celebration: as mere folklore and its religiosity according to popular piety. An important note was made to clarify that the celebration of Dia de los Muertos honors our beloved deceased; it is not a worshiping of death in itself (just as the worshippers of the so-called "Santa Muerte" or "Holy Death" do) but a celebration of the triumph of Christ over death, through his resurrection.
Other Sources
The following is some supplemental material after my presentation about Dia de Los Muertos (popular religiosity):
- Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead by Stanley Brandes
- La Vida Sacra: Conteomporary Hispanic Sacramental Theology by James Empereur and Eduardo Fernandez
- Horizons of the Sacred: Mexican Traditions in U.S. Catholicism by Timothy Matovina amd Gary Riebe-Estrella
- Death and the Idea of Mexico by Claudio Lomnitz