The Santa Inés mission hosted a celebration of the Dia de los
Muertos, the Day of the Dead, the evening of Nov. 1.
Participants created altares (altars) in the
parish hall, honoring lost loved ones with a variety of decorations including figures,
trinkets, pictures, crosses and flowers, said Deacon Ancelmo Aguirre, who has
organized the noche cultural (cultural night), for the past three years.
Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican tradition
that goes back centuries, Aguirre explained. It began with Aztec, Mayan and
other indigenous people ceremoniously remembering their dead. As the festival
developed, flowers and candles were placed on graves to call the spirits of the
departed with lights and scents, and families would spend the night reminiscing
about the deceased.
Special foods are associated with the
observance, including pan de muertos, a sweet kind of bread usually baked in
the shape of a figure lying down, and skulls made of sugar, Aguirre said.
Regular food, such as tamales and posole, a soup-like dish made with cooked
corn and chicken or pork and vegetables, also were expected to be served.
Drinks usually involving hot chocolate are
served, including “champurrado,” a warm drink with a masa or hominy flour base,
milk, chocolate and other flavorings. Mission celebrants planned to make
champurrado in the kitchen of the parish hall for the celebration.
“People get together, pray, and share traditions” of the person
commemorated by the “altare,” Aguirre said.