AUSTIN — Colorful altars fill the halls of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center downtown.
Today is the Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos. The holiday is primarily a Mexican tradition that has been adopted in other countries like the U.S. It combines Roman Catholic traditions with indigenous Aztec rituals.
According to the cultural center, the first and second of November are typically observed as the Day of the Dead. On the holiday, you celebrate the lives of loved ones who died by building an altar or offering for them.
"Everything around the Day of the Dead, from creating the altars to decorating grave sites, coming together with families to cook special meals, is all revolved around kind of creating a space to think about people that we've lost,” said Olivia Tamzarian, outreach and marketing coordinator of the MACC. “And to also celebrate life and death, because it's really one cycle."
The altars include pictures, marigold flowers, food and other objects that were special to a family member.
“It’s really a collection of objects to draw in the memory and the spirit to this place,” said Tamzarian. “Tell them, 'Here’s this place to come and rest, come back and join us.'”
She said people paint their faces to resemble skull candies as another way to remember the deceased.
“Death is not something we like to talk about every day,” Tamzarian said. “But if you can make it decorative and beautiful and interesting to look at, and kids can put on the skull makeup and feel like this is something that can entertain them, it’s a way for them to grasp the concept of death but not in a scary way.”
The cultural center has a Day of the Dead celebration Friday night and Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. for the family.