So honestly, I’ve never really truly celebrated El Día de los Muertos the way that one should. Sí ya sé for someone who is so proud of his Mexican culture that’s kind of a shocker… pero la verdad, I don’t know if it was the fact that my parents were too busy struggling to put food on the table, or that they just didn’t celebrate this tradition as I have come to know it now… but we just never had a Day of the Dead alter.
In fact, in wasn’t until later in life (ya de adulto) that I came to know what the significance of offering food to the deceased actually meant. My earliest memory of this tradition is from Dos Mujeres Un Camino, the telenovela with Erik Estrada, Laura Leon and Bibi Gaytan. For some reason they had an episode with a bunch of alters and they sort of briefly explained it was a way of celebrating their deceased.
I accepted it and moved on.
Today, we still don’t have an actual alter set up at any of our homes, but I have prayed to an alter in Mexico… at my late grandmother’s home. I think that made me appreciate this time of year a lot more. And now the traditions like the ones pictured below are a great reminder of why as mexicanos we always opt to celebrate the good, the bad, and the sad in life, and death. En este Día de los Muertos también quiero celebrar a los que ya se me fueron, pero que todavía están muy presentes en mi mente.
Angélica Vale explains it better in the video at the end. And ojo, check out Anjelica’s awesome Day of the Dead makeup. She did all by herself in front of the mirror, in less than an hour. Yo me ofreci para ayudarle, but for some reason she said no?
