Alive in our memories

ÍA DE MUERTOS isuponus.

The holiday, celebrated in Mexico and parts of Latin America and California on Nov. 2, is one of remembrance and community. It’s an opportunity to spend time with the memories of those who came before us. And though death is at the forefront, Día de Muertos is also a celebration of life.

The traditional way of celebrating is by making a physical ofrenda — an offering that often features a photo of the person being remembered, candles, foods and items specific to them, cempasúchiles (marigolds), papel picado (paper cutouts) and calaveras (sugar skulls).

A nontraditional way is what we have here. The Times asked readers last year to create a different kind of ofrenda by submitting a photo of a loved one they wanted to remember and an anecdote about them, which we published online. The digital altar was meant to create a communal space for public mourning and celebration after many events had been canceled due to the pandemic. We hoped to get 50 submissions. We received more than 1,000. We’ve brought the digital project back this week with a new crop of ofrendas.

Readers from California and across the country submitted ofrendas — in English and in Spanish — honoring grandparents, moms and dads, tíos y tías. Friends and siblings were remembered. Cousins too. We even had a few submissions for pets. A selection of the ofrendas we’ve posted online are below to continue the celebration.

Día de Muertos casts death not as a finality but as a journey on to the next stage. Death doesn’t necessarily have to be sad or scary. Our lives have seasons and cycles, like everything else. On Día de Muertos, souls that have moved on to their next season have a chance to cross back and be with the people who loved them. You don’t get to share the same realm year-round, but you get to share dinner and drinks for a night.

There is some debate over the origins of the celebration, though it is commonly believed to be syncretic. In Southern California, the holiday has gained popularity thanks to groups like Self Help Graphics & Art. The organization has held a public celebration in Los Angeles since the 1970s, and many similar events can be found across the region.

“Versions of [Día de Muertos] have been around for thousands and thousands of years. But the version that we are familiar with happened — like many things in Mexico, it’s a mixture of Indigenous traditions and also of Catholic Church traditions,” said Lalo Alcaraz, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-nominated political cartoonist who served as a consultant for the Oscar-winning Pixar film “Coco.” “Mexico’s good at mixing things together.”

So is Los Angeles.