Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos 2023
10.31.2023: Cempasuchil Flowers: History and Paper Craft
Tuesday, October 31, 4:00-5:00 PM, El Centro
While we make paper Cempasuchil Flowers, join us to learn about the history and significance of the flower in Día de Muertos Celebrations in Mexico.
11.1.2023: Decorating Sugar Skulls w/Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc.
Wednesday, November 1, 3:00-4:30 PM, El Centro
As we celebrate Día de Angelitos, we will be decorating Sugar Skulls with Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc. Come learn about the history and custom behind this celebratory practice.
11.2.2023: Día de Muertos Celebration
Thursday, November 2, 3:00-5:00 PM
Join us in celebration on the big day as we honor our ancestors, loved ones and community leaders!
Volunteer for Día de Muertos Events!
We would love your help! Below are our Volunteer opportunities for Día de Muertos:
- Help decorate our two Altars
- Shifts on Wednesday, October 25, 1:00-5:00 PM, El Centro
- Help mold Sugar Skulls
- Shifts on Wednesday, October 25, 4:00-5:00 PM or Monday, October 30, 12:30-2:00 PM
- Go to our Volunteer Page to sign up!
Want to Add a Picture to the Altar?
We are happy to add a picture of your loved one to the Altar. Please use the link below to upload a picture and we will print it for you in color.
Submit a picture for the Altar Here.
We, unfortunately, do not accept printed pictures, frames, or other items for the Altar in order to protect them because loaned items have gone missing or have been broken in the past.
2023 Altar Dedications
Indigenous and Afrodescendent women in Latin America and the Caribbean that have lost their lives from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth
This year, our Altar is dedicated to Indigenous and Afrodescendent women in Latin America and the Caribbean that have lost their lives from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Indigenous women are 3x more likely to die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth compared to non-indigenous women — even within the same community. Similarly, in Brazil, Afrodescendent women in the state of Parana are 3x more likely to die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
There are many reasons for these tragic rates: Afrodescenent women experience inadequate and discriminatory care. In Costa Rica, Indigenous women are 11x more likely to not receive antenatal care. In Guyana, Amerindian women are 4.75x more likely to not have skilled care at birth.
“A mother’s death has deep emotional, social and economic repercussions on the surviving family; following the death of their mother, newborns are less likely to survive, other children are less likely to remain in school, and the family is more likely to suffer financial consequences from loss of productivity and income” (Regional Task Force for the Reduction of Maternal Mortality, 2017).
However, Indigenous and Afrodescendent Women are reclaiming their power. For example, midwives and leaders in Costa Chica de Guerrero, México are relying on traditional midwifery and ancestral practices, which are making huge differences within their communities.
Updated information about these rates and experiences are extremely hard to come by because of a lack of data and discriminatory practices.
Learn More:
NPR: These Indigenous Mexican Women Are Reclaiming their Power Through Ancestral Practices
GTR: Overview of the Situation of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Latin America and the Caribbean
UNFPA: Indigenous Women’s Maternal Health and Maternal Mortality
15th Anniversary of Angie Zapata’s Murder
This year, our Altar is dedicated to the 15th Anniversary of Angie Zapata’s Death. Angie was brutally murdered in 2008 during an anti-transgender-motivated attack.
Angie met her murderer online and after going on a date, he viciously beat her to death. At the time, she was survived by her mother, Maria, and siblings, Monica, Gonzalo, Stephanie, Ashley and Nicole.
Angie was raised in Fort Lupton, CO and is described by her sister, Monica, as a “vibrant, everyday Greeley teenager” who Monica loved to take out because she, “…got so much attention” and everybody knew her.
Although deeply loved by her family, Angie dropped out of school in early 2008 because of persistent bullying and harassment. Since she was resilient, she moved to Greeley and eventually became the full-time babysitter for her nephew and four nieces, with the hopes of moving to Denver to pursue fashion and cosmetology.
Her killer was eventually arrested, and his defense tried to convince the court his actions were reasonable because he was unaware that Angie was a transgender woman when he met her; a blame-the-victim and cissexist strategy.
Angie’s murderer was convicted for multiple felony counts and it was the first time a defendant was tried under Colorado’s hate crime law that was, at the time, just newly amended to include sexual orientation and transgender statuses. In her memory, Angie’s family participated in an ad campaign advocating for a Federal Hate Crime law, which was eventually signed into law by President Barack Obama as the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Protection Act (October 28, 2009).
However, there is still a lot of work to be done: Only around half of trans*/nonbinary youth found their school to be gender-affirming, and those who did reported lower rates of attempting suicide (Trevor Project, 2023).
Learn More:
GLAAD: The Angie Zapata Murder: Violence Against Transgender People Resource Kit
Queer Memory Project of Northern Colorado
The Trevor Project: 2023 US National Survey on LGBTQ Young People
Altar for niños/angelitos Migrant Children who have died during their immmigration journey
This year’s Altar for niños/angelitos is dedicated to Migrant Children who have died during their emigration journey.
In 2022, at least 92 migrant children died or went missing while emigrating through Latin America, the largest number since 2014. Overall, children under 11 account for more than 90% of minors immigrating. Among these young immigrants, children with disabilities, children identifying as LGBTQI+, and children from indigenous groups are especially vulnerable.
The deadliest land route for migrants worldwide is the US-Mexico border, mainly because of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. Children from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba account for the highest number of deaths in the Caribbean. The Darien, a jungle border crossing between Panama and Colombia, is another dangerous route due to its remoteness and the presence of criminal gangs.
There are so many reasons contributing to the immigration crisis, including widespread poverty, limited livelihood opportunities, structural inequality, food insecurity, barriers to essential services, and a desire among families to secure a more hopeful future for their children. In addition, many families are trying to escape violence, such as domestic, gender-based, gang-related and political.
UNICEF urges countries, like the US to address child-specific root causes to this issue, further invest in countries of origin, expand safe/regular migration pathways for children and families, strengthen child-sensitive border/reception processes, prioritize family- and community-based care, and ensure children and families have comprehensive access to basic services (education, social protection, water, sanitation, hygiene, health, and nutrition) while in transit.
Learn More:
UNICEF: Child alert: Child migration in Latin America and the Caribbean
IOM: US-Mexico Border World’s Deadliest Migration Land Route
Council on Foreign Relations: US Detention of Child Migrants
What is Día de Muertos?
Día de Muertos is often only attributed to Mexico, but it is celebrated in other countries, each with their own customs, histories, ceremonies, and iconography.
Día de Muertos in El Salvador: November 1
What is it?
- The Día de Los Muertos in El Salvador is also called “El día de los difuntos.”
- People in El Salvador usually celebrate the “Día de Los Difuntos” every year on the 2nd of November.
- Family and friends come together at the tombs of their beloved relatives or friends who have died. They usually sit down beside the graves & pray.
- Salvadoran people decorate the tombs with colorful flowers making the cemetery come back to life.
- People clean graves and paint the tombs’ crosses in bright colors.
Traditions:
- El Salvador’s tradtions are not “extravagant” as in Mexico. There are no big parades, and the famous “calaveras” (the skulls) are not as common in El Salvador).
Día de Muertos in Guatemala: November 1 & 2
What is it?
- Rooted in ancient indigenous traditions used in Central America
- Elements of Mayan, Aztec, and Catholic beliefs.
- Three day festival, also known as All Saints Day.
- Celebrates life, not sadness or being scared.
- On October 31 families start to prepare to mourn the deceased by getting flowers and making food. People also visit tombs to clean and paint them.
- Loved ones are honored through food, ancestral rituals, and unique cultural events.
Traditions & Food:
- November 1st known as Día de Todos Los Santos (All Saints’ Day).
- November 2nd known as Día de Los Fieles Difuntos (All Souls Day).
- Dedicated to remembering the dead.
- People bring offerings like flowers and food to graves.
- People from Guatemala believe that the souls of the departed return to check up on their families and spend time with them.
- People wear their best clothes, and decorate tombs with flowers and candles.
- On this Day there is Giant Kite Festival, a Horse Race (La Carrera de Cintas) and Santa Calavera (a human skull procession).
- In areas you will find carved Squash Skulls.
- Food associated with this time include Fiambre, Ayote en Miel, Pan de Muerto, Pepian, Tamales Colorados, Torrejas, Jocotes en Miel, & Molletes.
Día de Muertos in Honduras: November 1 & 2
What is it?
- Although officially, The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 2nd. Honduras also celebrates El Día de los Santos Inocentes which happens November 1st.
- Día de los Santos Inocentes remembers those who passed at a young age.
- Families come together to clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones who died.
- Celebrations vary within regions and families. Families use artificial or natural flower wreaths to decorate the graves of their loved ones. For those who died at a young age, the flower crowns are placed on the first of November.
- Día de Muertos in Honduras is a time to remember and celebrate loved ones who have passed away. People celebrate life as they fill the cemeteries on this day.
- Thousands of people go to the cemeteries on the Day of the Dead, most families share a delicious lunch and an afternoon full of activities around their deceased.
Traditions/Food:
- Each region in Honduras has its own way of celebrating Día de Muertos.
- In the west (Copán, Santa Bárbara and Lempira), the inhabitants of the Lenca ethnic group celebrate the date with a typical dish, Ayote en miel. The Ayote en miel is placed in clay pots that are left near the doors of each house so that the dead can taste this dish.
Día de Muertos in Mexico: November 1 & 2
What is it?
- November 1st: Día De Todos Los Santos (remembering children that passed).
- November 2nd: Día De Los Fieles Difuntos (remembers adults that passed).
- Families welcome back the souls of their loved ones. A reunion that includes food, drinks, and celebration.
- Mexico City has one of the biggest celebration with their Alebrije Parade full of folk art culture, sculptures, and mythical creatures.
Traditions & Food:
- La Ofrenda: an altar of remembrance is a colorful art form and a personal expression of love towards family members with the purpose of remembrance and celebration of life.
- Layers include pictures, religious statues or symbols, ofrendas such as toys, tequila, mezcal, atole, food, candles, calaveras, flor de muerto (cempasuchil/marigolds).
- Traditonally families visit local cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of the loved ones buried.
- Catrinas is a fashionable tradition. The original Catrina was titled La Calavera Garbancera which is a form of an artistic symbol of the Day of the Dead Celebrations.
- Pan de Muertos and hot chocolate is a traditional treat. Pan de Muerto is a semi-sweet sugar dusted bread paired with hot chocolate; enjoyable on November evenings.
