MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — More than 100 people followed Aztec dancers through an arch of paper flowers into El Colegio High School Saturday morning and visited an altar built by students as a memorial. Dia de muertos Or Day of the Dead.
“This is…a way to welcome our ancestors back into our homes, into our lives, even though they’re not here physically, but mentally they’re not here,” said Daniella Rosales, a fourth-grader at a small bilingual school in Minneapolis. “This is a way for the community to come together and feel safe in some way.”
these Important religious, family, and community celebrations for most mexicans Many other Latinos have taken on special importance in the U.S. Latino community this year as the Trump administration escalates immigration enforcement raids. in minnesota.
Although some organizers worried that concerns of deportation would overshadow the public celebration, participants, who flocked in droves from cities large and small, said the ceremony brought a much-needed sense of resilience and community pride.
“We decided we couldn’t give in,” said Justin Ek, one of the founders of the Day of the Dead festival in the Minnesota farmland city of Mankato. “Our cultural celebrations are just what we need to feed our souls for the coming years.”
The family of an indigenous Latinx artist started a small memorial in 2018 in the parking lot of a painting business. This year, about 12,000 people attended the day-long celebration, which included live music and dozens of papier-mâché sculptures. Katrina (an elaborately dressed skeleton) and Fantastic creatures called alebrijes. Most activities were funded by donations from the local community.
Sad but Happy: The Spiritual Dimensions of the Day of the Dead
Ek said her father came to the United States from Mexico as a preteen, but in the struggle to make a living and eventually start a family, many connections to his homeland and relatives disappeared.
He added that the Day of the Dead observance has become a way to not only commemorate, but also grieve, a recent death in the family and rekindle bonds.
“It’s our way of honoring what we lost,” Ek said.
This holiday’s balance of fond memories and new sense of reality distinguishes it from both a complete holiday. halloween party atmosphere and dark monument christian holy day all saints All Souls Day on November 1st and November 2nd.
In fact, the Day of the Dead evolved over centuries from indigenous customs across the Americas, and was only established on this fall day with the introduction of Catholicism, said University of Texas professor Cary Cordova.
Each region has its own unique details, but the most important element is honoring the dead with an “ofrenda,” a celebratory offering of the deceased’s favorite food, drink, music, and entertainment. their souls will return, guided by candles and marigold flowers It marks the way to the ofrenda.
Luis Alberto Orozco said it’s important to remember the deceased by enjoying their favorite snacks and songs and “enjoying them for who they are,” both as a child in Mexico and now living in Mankato.
“It’s about remembering those who died in a positive way because they want us to remember that they were happy, and it’s about making them feel like they’re with us,” Orozco said.
A joyful and proud commemoration overcomes the fear of immigration crackdowns
Orozco, who hosted this year’s gala, reflected on tense conversations in recent months about whether the Mankato event could lead to an immigration enforcement raid, especially as rumors spread on social media.
“We decided not to be afraid. It was important for us to stick to the faith,” he said. “When I went to the event and saw everyone smiling, all my fears disappeared.”
The recent crackdown on illegal immigration in Chicago caused a controversy and aroused anxiety Beyond that city.
Lisa Noce, whose ancestors immigrated to Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood from Mexico and grew up there, worried that people would stay away from the Day of the Dead installation she helped create for the National Museum of Mexican Art there. But a lot of people came.
“I’m so grateful that it turned out the way it did,” she said, adding that she also keeps a small ofrenda in her kitchen with candy, Barbie dolls and smiling photos of deceased family members.
‘Ofrendas’ range from family shrines to political statements
For more than a century, artistic expressions of the Day of the Dead have also moved from the home to public spaces.
Starting in Mexico and later through the Chicano rights movement in the United States, ofrendas also became a form of protest targeting often marginalized victims, said Louis Fitch, a Minneapolis artist who has created Day of the Dead images for retail giant Target and the U.S. Postal Service.
Los Angeles has some of the strongest cities enforcement actionThis is an organization that advocates. detained immigrants One of the organizers, the Rev. Jennifer Gutierrez, said Sunday’s prayers were planned to include Buddhist, Jewish and Protestant Christian ceremonies, as well as an altar in memory of those who died in custody.
“There’s a lot of anxiety out there,” said Gutierrez, a United Methodist minister. “But there is also an atmosphere of coming together to help each other.”
Back at El Colegio High School, there are six altars with flickering candles. decorated candy skull And a mass of paper flowers commemorated local and global losses.
There were also pictures of murdered children. at school mass Although only 3 miles (5 km) away, Died crossing the US-Mexico border Not just the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks; war in gaza and violence against indigenous women.
“We always try to cultivate a source of spiritual strength,” said Susana de Leon, one of the traditional Aztec dancers who started the commemorative event at El Colegio. “When the community sees us dancing, it makes them feel stronger. They feel the love.”
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