Altar Your Thinking About the Dead

"Cemetaries are public places but there not treated like public places," said artist Joyce Burstein standing in between tombstones at the at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, for the Day of the Dead celebration. Her words might have been true on any other night, in any other cemetery but on Saturday Oct. 27, 2007--she was dead wrong.

In the center of the event, grills sizzled with every Mexican dish you could think of, beer was abundant and a long line of tents housed vendors selling art and hand-made trinkets perfect for altars honoring the dead.

There were theater performances, a "Cavaleras" art exhibit and a historical lecture presentation. At the entrance people danced to traditional music. Those in the middle of the action wore ornate outfits with little bones that clicked and clanked with each movement and large feather headresses that swayed with the beats.



However, with all the festivities the true heart of the event was found in more than 100 altars--some modest, some elaborate all decorated to commerate the dead. Walking down the rows of alters the air was smokey with incense and a thick scent of sage. Black paved roads were packed with people, about of fourth of which were in full costume. After awhile it was normal to bump into the ocassional witch or 6 year old devil.

The mood was neither somber nor sad even though ideas of death and lost loved ones were everywhere.

"Generally American culture focuses more on fear, but Hispanic culture focuses on celebrating life and realizes that death is a part of that," said Tracy Lissauskas, visiting the festival for her second year in a row from Long Beach.

Day of the Dead or Dia Day Los Muertos is one of Mexico's traditional holidays honoring deceased ancestors, family and friend. November 1 is All Saints Day and is reserved for departed children and infants, often referred to as "angelitos" (little angels). November 2 is All Souls Day reserved for remembrance of those who died as adults.

The tradition of Dia De Los Muertos is an indigenous custom that dates back to pre-Hispanic cultures of Meso-America according to www.ladayofthedead.com. This makes the holiday more than 3,000 years old and once commen amongst the Aztec, Mayan and other Mexican natives. Even after five centuaries of Spanish colonization the celebration has continued to survive.

Unlike the United States where death is a topic largely avoided, in Mexico's acient civilizations death held a significant place in certain rituals. According to www.mexicoconnect.com for Aztecs it was considered a blessing to die in child birth, battle or human sacrifice. Such death would gaurentee the victim a desirable destination in the afterlife.

In some ways a much softer version of this attitude had lived on. Manuel Plasencia a man of Mexican heritage who has worked on numerous alters for Dia De Los Muertos said:

"We want to celebrate it [death] with happiness, like a fiesta, it's nothing scary bad or for crying."

The cornerstone of this celebration is the creation of altars and offerings to the departed. The alter can be dedicated to a family member, friend, pet, even a celebrity. Basically it can be made for anyone who was special in your life. The purpose of the alter is not to raise the dead even though some of the symbolism with the offerings may suggest contact or communication. Rather the focal point is to commerate the individual and remind the living of our own mortality.

Here are some of the traditional element to include when constructing an altar for your beloved:

Earth Each of the four elements of nature: earth, wind, water and fire should be represented in an alter accoding to www.ladayofthedead.com. Earth is often represented by the placement of fruits. Also food should be left for the departed since it is believed that they are coming from a long journey and will be very hungry. This is usually a traditional dish accopanied by one of the individuals personal favorites (at one altar I saw a box of Fruity Pebbles another had hamburgers) and tamales according to Aldo Cruz, two-time winner of Hollywood Forever Cemetery's Best Traditional Altar Contest.

Wind This element is represented by movement. Most commonly used are "papel picados" which are intricate tissue paper cut-outs that usually have the shape of flowers or skulls cut-out and come in bright colors.

Water There are three reasons why this vital element is included. First it is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after its journey to the altar. Second, water is used as a symbol of purification. Finally water is set out along with a razor, clean towel and soap so the soul can freshen up before the meal.

Fire It is essential to include fire in your altar to illuminate it so the departed can find their way to it. Each candle represents a loving soul that misses the departed and an extra is placed for the forgotten soul.

Flowers & Copal Copal is a certain kind of incense that smells like sage. It is used along with flowers and other strong scents to guid the souls to the altar. Copal also commemorates pre-Columbian history according to www.ladayofthedead.com. The most commonely used flower is the marigold or cempazuchiles which blossom in Mexico during October and November. Cruz says their bright orange color also lead the souls to their altars. Besides marigolds, Cruz also uses white flower to show that a person was pure, and red to symbolize "the blood of life."

The Skull Sugar skulls can be made from a recipe at home there are many avaiable online) or purchased in the month of October at Mexican markets and shops. They are also on sale at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Day of the Dead Event. Tracy Lisauskas bought a hand-painted one for $15.00 to put on her computer desk. These skulls can be inscribed witht the names of the deceased and the living on the forehead as a reminder of mortality.

Personal Items Finally photos of the departed are usually include. As is tequila and cigarettes if the person drank and smokeed. Anything that the person loved or anything that represented who they were may be placed on an altar. Some guides suggest that the placement of offering be symmetrical but both experts I talked, Plasencia and Cruz said that didn't really matter. What's more important is to "Feel free to do what you think your honoree would enjoy," says blogger Ladi at www.squido.com. "The point is, size doesn't really matter, what matters is the heart you put into it."