October 15, 2010
Family day in Washington helps retain Day of the Dead traditions
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
“We had an excellent family day at Washington on Saturday,” said Benedictine Sister Karen Durliat, director of Hispanic Ministry in the diocese.
In Washington, Christina Rosario, a bilingual staffer from Catholic Charities, spoke to the parents about “The Communication between Generations and Cultures.”
A group from the University of Southern Indiana, young adults from Washington, Benedictine Sister Joan Scheller and Sister Karen helped the children prepare a “Day of the Dead” altar.
The families later came to-gether and prepared a family shield containing family values and family traditions from their “old” and “new” cultures.
“In the workshop on Saturday, we included the experience of making an altar in hopes that the immigrants will continue this tradition since they don’t have the opportunity to visit loved ones in cemeteries. We also want to encourage parents to pass on their traditions to their children.”
Sister Karen provided an overview of the customs.
Latin American countries celebrate a yearly tradition called Day of the Dead (“Día de los Muertos”) on Nov. 2 in connection with the Catholic celebration of All Souls’ Day.
It is a joyful celebration where families and friends gather to pray for and remember those who have died. Families often go to cemeteries, where they clean and decorate the tombstones of loved ones. They bring food and drink to share with their deceased families and friends.
Another tradition is to build an altar in their homes. Family members honor their deceased with “ofrendas” or offerings which may consist of photographs, foods, flowers, toys and other symbols representing what the deceased enjoyed in life.
Other traditional offerings include those representing the four elements considered sacred to the indigenous people: earth, wind, fire, and water. There are always candles representing the Light and Christ and the eternal life of loved ones.
“Papel picado” (cut paper) adorns altars. Special holiday breads and sugar skulls are baked and consumed, and colorful folk-art skeletons engaged in a variety of everyday activities commemorate the day.
The Family Day event in Washington was made possible by a grant from the Daviess County Community Foundation.