Aside from the public celebrations and parades, it is also a deeply personal ceremony.

How one chooses to remember their deceased loved ones is up to them, and Dia de los Muertos may be how one chooses to do it. However, if one wants to celebrate it, it is best to have some knowledge of the holiday.ĭia de los Muertos is meant to honor the dead. While the holiday is primarily celebrated by people of Mexican descent, Dia de los Muertos is more comparable to Christmas time - there is no group of people who are not allowed to celebrate. In the same way that family reunions are only for relatives and close family friends, one may assume that Dia de los Muertos is only for people of Mexican heritage. After all, it is culturally significant as a traditional way for Mexican people to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, and most of the iconography and traditions surrounding the holiday are specifically significant to Mexican people. The resulting conversation sparked another question who isn’t allowed to celebrate Dia de los Muertos?Īs the holiday originates from Mexico, the instinctive answer might be non-Mexican people. His reluctance to make one came from a fear of cultural appropriation he didn’t want to be disrespectful of another culture’s holiday. He is not of Latin American descent but still wanted to create an ofrenda - an altar used to honor the dead. Recently, a friend of mine asked me if he was allowed to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

Coco dia de los muertos altar