Community honors departed loves ones

Pink, blue and yellow paper decorations adorn the community Día de los Muertos altar at the Brownsville Historical Association along with marigolds, sunflowers, offerings and pictures honoring the dead during the three-day holiday ending today.

Anthony Knopp, emeritus history professor at UTB-TSC, said he believes the Día de los Muertos has encountered a revival over the years. He said 20 years ago when he moved to Brownsville; Día de los Muertos altars were not seen in public venues.

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College also has a public altar on display until Nov. 9.

This week there were several events celebrating the holiday, and some continue today as well.

“There is a certain notion of fatalism in Mexican culture. ... ‘Que será será. We’re all going to die. You just need to prepare to meet your fate,’” he said of the holiday. “Anglos are a little bit disturbed by that, I think. They find it might be too grim a reality. Mexicans greet it head on.”

In a predominantly Hispanic border region, the Day of the Dead takes on a flair unique to the binational culture and a significance that might not be seen farther north, Knopp said.

He said the holiday approaches death in a manner that makes it less intimidating — through the use of candy skulls, called calaveras de azúcar, and the celebrations with costumes and parades. There is symbolism in the flowers like the marigold used in the celebration, and families clean the gravesites of their loved ones, Knopp said. Sometimes they might spend the night at the cemetery and families also make offerings of the favorite food and drink of the departed. The offering, which might even be items like cigarettes, are also mementos of the love one’s life on Earth, he said.

“Death is a part of life, and there is greater acceptance of the notion of it being a part of life,” he said. “There is a tendency to make light of it so it’s not such an intimidating idea.”

The holiday’s Latin American origin, Knopp said, predates the presence of Europeans in what is today Mexico and has its roots in the nation’s indigenous culture. It is a time when the spirits of the departed might return to visit, he said.

The holiday ties in with Nov. 1, which is All Saints’ Day, and Nov. 2, which is All Souls’ Day, in the Catholic faith. In Spanish, Nov. 1 may also be called Día de los Inocentes, Day of the Innocents, or Día de los Angelitos, Day of the Little Angels, to honor children who have died.

In many places in Mexico, the holiday takes on great importance, but Día de los Muertos also appears elsewhere. In a program this evening, UTB-TSC will present Day of the Dead customs from Guatemala, Japan, the United States, the Philippines, Ecuador and Mexico.

The seventh annual Brownsville Historical Association Día de los Muertos altar is decorated with 24 pictures of the dead. Some are former members of the association, while others photos have been brought in by the public, cemetery center assistant Josie Cisneros said.

Education Coordinator Rhiannon Cizon said an altar is a must to do “proper justice” to the community because of the mission of the historical association is to preserve the area’s culture, arts and history.

The altar, on display until Nov. 4, was sponsored by the Trevino Funeral Home in Brownsville.

Juan Sierra, Trevino Funeral Home manager, said the focus of the holiday is to honor the dead.

“We feel it is important to remember and to acknowledge those that have gone before us,” he said. “We hold their lives in such great importance for everything that they did.”

For many of us, he said, the generations that came before us made sacrifices for what we have today. A large majority of Hispanics are Catholics, so faith has mixed with cultural traditions in celebrating the holiday, he said.

“A lot of people get depressed, naturally, because of a death in the family,” he said. “I feel that being involved with the BHA, they’re giving those of us who are grieving an opportunity to reflect and cope. ... We’re grateful for everything that’s been handed down to us, and what better way to acknowledge that than by honoring the dead.”