Americans celebrate Halloween while Hispanics celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of our past ancestors. With that comes building an altar with their favorite goods and anything that represents them to us, “the living.”

Many days are spent in the cemetery to decorate with color using flowers and other decor.

Our belief is that their spirits go off to the land of the dead. For Dia de los Muertos, it is believed that their spirits come to visit us and receive all the goods left for them at the altar.

Dia de los muertos starts October 31st and ends November 2nd. Dia de los Muertos is not a day to be sad in those who’ve died but to celebrate those who lived.

Dia de los Muertos has a big presence in our culture. Many don’t celebrate Halloween thinking it is a devil’s holiday. For three days people are only focused on honoring their dead by eating their favorite foods, playing their favorite music, praying, etc.

Dia de los Muertos is a day in which I can reflect on my family’s history. The remembrance of my dead ancestors helps me understand how my family got to be. Although I never meet them they’re a part of me in one way or another. From the way I walk, the way I speak, the little things. To remember them is an honor. Celebrating their life uplifts me and makes me thankful for all that I’ve had.

To see representation of our tradition during this time makes me proud. Instead of being looked over because of Halloween, Dia de los Muertos is now being seen by others.

One major factor of this is the release of the movie Coco by Pixar in 2017. This movie is one of the first to represent Mexican culture. To see a holiday relating back to your roots on the big screen is overwhelmingly joyful.

Dia de los Muertos is an important holiday in which all Latinos and Hispanics should be proud to celebrate. It is the remembrance of the life after death in a joyful and colorful environment.

Happy Dia de los Muertos.