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"We live in a society that commercializes a lot of traditions," says Miguel Dominguez, a professor of Spanish at California State University Dominguez Hills, just outside Los Angeles. "It's not surprising that one would find the commercialization of Día de Los Muertos."
Dominguez is not particularly offended by the trend, though he notes that the tradition is celebrated much differently today than it was when he was growing up in LA. Bakeries now advertise the sweet Pan de Muertos, or Bread of the Dead, weeks in advance. Stores sell the little sugar skulls, or calaveras, that are popular during the holiday.
Día de los Muertos isn't the only Mexican event that's been taken in and altered by American culture, Dominguez adds, nor is it the only holiday whose meaning is sometimes lost. "Some people will celebrate Fourth of July and they can't tell you what it's about, but they're having a fun time at the beach or weenie roast," he says.
Enrique Fernández Cervantes, curator of the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas, says artists occasionally decry what's perceived as the tradition's loss of purity. Recently, Fernandez says, an artist there was upset because one piece in this year's celebration was an ofrenda to a pet instead of a person. Overall, however, Fernandez has seen more awareness of what the holiday means since the cultural center held its first exhibition 19 years ago. "A couple of years ago, I was getting entries from local artists who had never heard of the celebration, and I was getting lots of photographs and paintings of ghosts and scary monsters and witches," he says.
People who have organized Day of the Dead events in several other traditionally Hispanic-heavy cities are quick to point out the differences between Día de los Muertos and Halloween, but they don't seem to mind mixing the two traditions in people's minds. "It kind of appeals to the spookiness we enjoy about Halloween," says George of the Latin American Coalition.
Perhaps that's because some organizers see both late-October traditions as one more way to unite people of different cultures. "It's great that more people are embracing (Día de los Muertos) because it encourages cultural diversity," says Lacey Richter, education coordinator at the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, Texas. "Anything that offers people to come and join and break down some cultural barriers is a good thing. That's how people learn about other cultures and how other people celebrate and live."
It's a bit early to fear the commercialization Día de los Muertos in Charlotte, which is still is less than 10 percent Latino, a far smaller population than in cities in Texas and California, where the tradition enjoys a much higher profile. Still, the Day of the Dead in Charlotte is still likely to differ from el Día de los Muertos back home, says George. That tradition began thousands of years ago among Aztecs in the area that is now Mexico and a few other South and Central American countries. Later, the tradition blended with Spanish Roman Catholic beliefs and rituals and became what's today known as Día de los Muertos. The Spanish sought to make it a Christian holiday, moving it from July and August to November, where it would coincide with All Saints Day and All Souls Day, precursors of Halloween (which means the two traditions are vaguely connected). The holiday adopted much of Catholic theology but still maintained its Aztec rituals and imagery. Today, celebration of Día de los Muertos varies somewhat by region and country.
During the celebration, families build altars in their homes to dead loved ones. Many altars feature images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary or saints. These ofrendas can be elaborate affairs, with the deceased's favored food, drink and other personalized items. Tradition dictates that celebrants offer ancestors gifts, typically items they enjoyed in life. "The belief is that you're showing your loved ones that passed on that you haven't forgotten them," Hernandez says.
At the Pura Vida event, Hernandez and her staff erected a Día de los Muertos shrine honoring the artist Frida Kahlo. The ofrenda is resplendent with paper flowers of vivid colors, including orange sherbet, electric blue and hot pink. Fruit is placed near candles and a bottle of tequila lingers near the religious imagery.
Some families put an extra plate at their tables at night. After a long trip from beyond the grave, it's believed, the dead are likely tired and hungry. Rosalia Torres, a Mexican-born artist whose work is featured at Pura Vida, jokes that some people pay such respects out of fear. "If you don't do that, they'll come and pull your sheets," she says with a laugh. The holiday is serious, but also joyous. "We make fun of the dead," Torres says.
Other traditions that are relatively new to the United States
Kwanzaa: The festival was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, who wanted a holiday that would help African-American goals of strong family, history and unity.
Cinco de Mayo: Really, it's not just an excuse to drink any more than St. Patrick's Day is. Cinco de Mayo is intended to commemorate the Battle of Puebla in 1862, in which Mexican troops defeated Napoleon. Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which is September 16.