GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a special occasion that originated in Mexico and celebrates friends and family who have passed away. Local artist Reyna Garcia describes it as something beautiful and a connection between life and death.
“We believe on November 1 and November 2, they come with us to the earth and beside us, so we are welcoming them,” said Garcia.
They’re welcomed with a makeshift altar called an Ofrenda, typically placed in a home or cemetery. Garcia created one that is front and center at the Grand Rapids Public Library to help others learn about the tradition.
The display honors her friend’s husband and son who both died in a car accident last year. Their pictures are placed throughout the Ofrenda, along with their favorite foods, sugar skulls, flowers and more.
“We put the food that they love and other items they actually had, we listen to music they liked when they were alive,” Garcia explained.
She says the beautiful tradition is often confused with something bad, and mistaken as an extension of Halloween. But she describes the celebration as cultural and passed down from her ancestors. It’s believed during this time, the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves. Providing a special time to reunite with those who are no longer physically here, but certainly are spiritually.
“It's so beautiful, people think it's something weird but it's so beautiful,” said Garcia. “Because really they are here, we can talk to them, we can sing the songs that they love and then bring items and things and memories.”
Dia de los Muertos wraps up Thursday. You can check out the Ofrenda at the Grand Rapids Public Library until November 3.
