San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
WE EMBRACE LOSS IN A MAGICAL WAY
In order to stay in compliance with San Diego’s public health order and to help protect our community from the spread of COVID-19, we will not be able to celebrate Día de los Muertos like we usually do at Artelexia, my gift shop in North Park.
Although our festival has been canceled, the tradition continues. I will be celebrating at home and, thankfully, I have been able to keep Artelexia fully stocked on authentic Mexican crafts for ofrendas.
Recent life events and the difficulties we’ve collectively faced in 2020 have made me contemplate the power of endings and new beginnings. And isn’t it just magical that this parallels what the Day of the Dead is truly about? Reflecting on our past, embracing loss and celebrating life? If you are unfamiliar with Día de los Muertos or you find yourself newly interested in this Mexican tradition, I would like to share with you why it is so special and why we care so much about it at Artelexia.
Firstly, Día de los Muertos is, by far, the festivity which best represents Mexican culture. It is so important that in 2003, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed Día de los Muertos an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On Nov. 1 and 2, many people in Mexico and Mexicans around the world create altars dedicated to friends, prominent figures and family members who have passed as a way of honoring their memory.
Others visit gravesites, clean up headstones and leave offerings there instead. Ofrendas to the dead can be as elaborate or as minimal as you wish. A version of this celebration has existed in Mexico since before the arrival of the Spanish. After the Spanish invasion and colonization of Mexico’s Indigenous peoples, the ritual celebrated