Thursday, November 5, 2020
Altar Reflection
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the making of this years altars for Día de Lis Muertos. Learning about what Día de Los Muertos represents and the history behind it helped me understand the importance of the tradition. Growing up, I saw my mom's mini alters lit with candles, pictures and incents hidden in random places in our household. Some would be placed on top of her dresser or on top the highest shelve in the closet. Although we practiced making altars, we never adopted the tradition of Día de Los Muertos. Having the opportunity to engage in this tradition was really special to me. Seeing the variety of the beautiful altars created and the uniqueness embedded in each was amazing to see. Every altar has a story and unique remembrances to their loved ones who have passed. Claudia Luna Castro mentions that her altars are made different every year such as placing different flowers but the unique part of her altar is the components made by her children which she incorporates. She also mentions the practice of cleansing the altar before lighting everything up which I thought was different and unique. I also thought it was beautiful that she wrote a poem for her grandmother. In her poem she writes, "this is why, in my altar, there's room, incense light and water in a cup" (22:07), just how her grandma taught her. I thought the poem was a special and personal way in which she is able to communicate not just through the altar, but with the words of her heart through this beautiful poem.
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I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the making of this years altars for Día de Lis Muertos. Learning about what Día ...
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El Centro de la Raza put on a wonderful event for Día de los Muertos. It was great to see how people in our community are keeping the tradition of altares that we are learning in class alive, and how they are incorporating themes from today. Specifically, It was very interesting how the artists displayed altares that incorporated social justice themes (2:59). It was really funny to watch the kids singing De Colores because I can remember singing that in elementary school (10:16)! It was really interesting seeing all of the amazing art from local artists (17:40). I really thought the altar from La Sala honoring Latinx artists was beautiful (18:27). I wish I could have seen it in person to see all of the artists they included. It was also great to see the altar of Claudia Luna Castro and hear the personal connection she has with the oferenda, even incorporating in things that her children had made (20:06). I also loved the poem that she read after about her grandmother (22:06). I thought it was great seeing how Romona Cavazos is passing down the traditions that she learned to her daughters and granddaughters (25:50). I thought it was really interesting to learn about how to make the dish Mole and the history behind it (27:55). This was a great event, and I am glad I was able to participate virtually!
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