When I was a child, I remember how my grandmother prepared for the Dia de los Muertos. Just as her mother did, she put up an altar and selected items similar to those of her mother. I recently visited my grandmother in Mexico, and she retold her traditions. In her words:
Her mother decorated with fruit, bread and flowers the altar for her children who passed away at a very young age.
In my grandmother’s altar, she chose to honor her parents and siblings. Her preparations would start about a week before the 1st of November, I would observe her dedication as she made her own candles with oil, thread and empty jars she recycled, one for each of our dead relatives. She would also put a glass of milk for each of her siblings. She would then select the things she wanted on her altar to go along with the black and white pictures of her parents. Although I enjoyed the altar and all that went into putting it together, my favorite part of the holiday was going to the cemetery.
The visitation was not just a solemn observation of the tomb but rather an active demonstration of love. We would clean out the weeds around the tombs that belonged to our family, and my grandmother would scrub with water and soap the tombs made of cement and wooden crosses. We would then decorate the tombs with colorful bunches of cempasuchil flowers or Marigolds
As I start to lose loved ones, I find myself looking back at the memories with them and appreciating the time we shared together, and I also find myself looking forward to honor them and remember them whether that is on Dia de los Muertos or any other day of the year.
I’m Yaritza Salgado and that’s my perspective.