REMEMBRANCE THROUGH OFRENDAS
By Daniela Garcia Perez
Photo taken by Daniela Garcia Perez
When my family drove me to George Washington University (GWU) for the first time, I concluded that certain aspects of my culture would be harder to maintain. I wouldn’t speak my home language as frequently, I wouldn’t taste my mother’s cooking as often, and I wouldn’t have the supplies for holidays. GWU didn’t have the same stores I had at home for me to indulge in those aspects of my culture. One of those aspects included a centuries-old tradition: an ofrenda for Day of the Dead.
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that dates back to pre-colonization, approximately 3,000 years ago. The purpose of the holiday is to welcome our loved ones back to the land of the living, as well as remembering deceased loved ones, honoring them through an ofrenda (an altar). The ofrenda is full of offerings, welcoming back our loved ones to enjoy their favorite earthly goods. (For those interested in learning more, the 2017 Disney animation Coco provides an excellent– and heartwarming – representation of the holiday.)
The offerings on the ofrenda consist of certain objects, including cempasuchil (marigold) flowers, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls), papel picado (decorative cut tissue paper), photos of the deceased, candles, religious figures (if the family is religious), and foods or objects the deceased held dear during their time on Earth that were either liked by the deceased or belonged to them.
The cempasuchil flowers are significant for this holiday since they help guide the spirits of the dead. The sugar skulls represent friends and family, while papel picado all share different messages since they all have different visuals, but they typically indicate joy and festivity.
While the ofrenda is prepared days in advance, the holiday itself takes place from November 1st to November 2nd of each year. The first day of November is dedicated to children, and the second day is dedicated to adults.In recent years, families have opened the ofrenda to other loved ones: pets or characters from media.
I never planned on making an ofrenda at GWU. I didn’t know where I would get the marigolds. I didn’t know where I would get bread. I didn’t know how I would have planned and carried it out. Yet, when one of my roommates, Yngrid Guevara, asked me, “Do you want to make an ofrenda?” I heavily considered it. I called my mom later in the day to ask what advice she had for me about making an ofrenda. She told me that since I’ve seen her and my father make one multiple times, why wouldn’t I be able to do it? That call was all I needed to embrace Yngrid’s idea.
The first step on preparing the ofrenda was to visit Maryland. We made it to Florería de la Rosa de Guadalupe: a florist at 5026a Edmonston Rd, Hyattsville, MD. The marigold flowers were bought. Next, we made it to La Flor De Puebla: a bakery at 5024 Edmonston Rd, Hyarrsville, Maryland. The bread for the ofrenda was bought. Lastly, we ate some food after that long trip at Taqueria La Placita (5020 Edmonston Rd, Hyattsville, MD). We deserved it after the long trip!
The second and final step was to create the ofrenda. For 1-3 hours, my roommate and I committed ourselves to making the ofrenda. We cut the flowers, set up a vase, printed photos of our loved ones, taped the pictures up, and cleared a space for it. For the first time, I made an ofrenda without the help of my parents. And for the first time, I made an ofrenda and celebrated Day of the Dead without my parents.
Photo taken by Daniela Garcia Perez: The final product of the ofrenda.
Despite the fact that both Yngrid and I were far from our families and the places we would originally buy the materials, we created a new space for our loved ones to visit. We did our job of honoring them, even the fictional characters. My roommate and I were not the only ones at GWU to create an ofrenda. Potomac House, one of the freshman dorms, created an ofrenda for people to put up their own photos. At the University Student Center, The Mexican Student Association created an ofrenda on the fifth floor that was open to all.
Creating an ofrenda far from home is not new. Immigrants from Mexico have done it for years. Far from the motherland, Mexicans in the United States, around the world, as well as Mexican descendants have taken their cultures everywhere they go. And since then, who deserves to be honored during Day of the Dead (past just family) has changed.
In Mexico City, journalists held a march for Palestinian and Lebanese journalists who have been killed by Israel. The Mexican journalists held up their country flags and pictures of the deceased journalists as a way to pay respect, honor, and remembrance of everything they did and what they fought for until the end.
Through this holiday, the faces of those on the ofrendas are loved for an eternity. Even if not on an ofrenda, having a sole picture, memory, or object belonging to a loved one can be enough to pay respects and celebrate who they once were. It’s a holiday that can be done anywhere. I didn’t need to go to Maryland to create a wonderful ofrenda (although I preferred this option). I could have printed a picture with a singular offering and called it day.
It’s up to the maker how to do it, when to do it, and if they should do it. It’s a timeless holiday.