Sacred Space Personal Altar
the lives of people who have died or live far away; the person being celebrated is
traditionally highly significant to the altar's creator. Altars can honor relatives or
friends they miss, as well as historically famous people. On these altars are images
of that person, happy memories or moments, favorite foods, “milagros”, candles,
symbols, flowers, prayers, and other adornments. Skeletons have been used as
symbols of the holiday, including the well-recognized La Calavera Garbancera,
or La Catrina, created by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada as social satire.
JOSE GUADALUPE POSADA,
La Calavera Catrina, c. 1910, lithograph
The holiday is celebrated in Mexico by people of both indigenous and
Spanish descent. “The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to
pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and helping
support their spiritual journey. In Mexican culture, death is viewed as a natural
part of the human cycle. Mexicans view it not as a day of sadness but as a day of
celebration.” Wikipedia.
Día de los Muertos 10/31-11/2 is a holiday to celebrate loved ones who have
died; similarly, All Souls' Day is more generally observed by Christian and
Catholic faiths. I make and help others make altars, which I call a sacred space,
to connect with someone or people in your life you want to remember.
As a white, non-Mexican woman, I have been asked for many years if making
an altar is cultural appropriation, and the discussion is a great one and worth
continuing. The culture I was raised in did not allow for a celebratory place to
reconnect with those who had died; often the opposite was the expectation-
keeping emotions private (lest others get uncomfortable). As I learned about
and came to appreciate this tradition of celebrating the dead, I found peace,
and even joy, in open celebration instead of sadness in solitude. I celebrate
and teach these ideas and artists, especially artists like Posada, and keep
them in context, and do so with positivity and respect.
