STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Dirce Flores always looked forward to fall when her family built a traditional Dia de los Muertos altar.
“My grandfather went to the farmer’s market to buy flowers and food for the altar—everything had to be fresh. My grandmother cooked mole and made desserts—apples in a thick syrup… We all helped build a big arch in front of the table, and the everyone got together for a week to celebrate my great-grandparents who guided us, to remember the people who had passed away.”
Flores, who now lives with her family in Bellevue, was one of dozens of adults and children who took part in three free workshops organized by Sun Valley Museum of Art this week to create and paint clay objects for a community Dia de Los Muertos altar that will be unveiled at a community Dia de los Muertos celebration on Oct. 29.
The workshops were among several events that the Museum has organized over the coming weeks to introduce the Dia de los Muertos celebration to the community. The next one will be on Saturday, Oct. 1, when Carlos Lecanda shows people how to make a Catrina—an elegantly dressed skeleton that has become a symbol of the Day of the Dead.
Flores, who lives with her family in Bellevue, grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico, before pursuing college in Oregon. She studied sociology while dancing ballet and contemporary dance. And, when she and her husband visited Sun Valley on vacation, they stayed.
That was 17 years ago
“We came during winter and everything was covered in snow and so beautiful,” said Flores. “We fell in love with the small town and we stayed. And now we have two sons 16 years old and nine years old.”
While Flores painted a tile that had been designed by ceramic artist George Rodriguez, Celia Huaman made an apple. Then she went to work on crafting a bowl to hold water, food or offerings.
Eight-year-old Sarah Enoki created a heart, while her mother Kat Thorp, who teaches English and Latina literature at Wood River High School, made a chakana, a stepped cross. The four corners can represent fire, earth water and air and a bridge between heaven and earth, said Thorp.
Dia de los Muertos is a time to come together with family and community and remember the past and celebrate the present, said Rodriguez.
Flores has maintained the tradition of building an altar every year around the time many in the United States call All Souls Day. The week-long observance starts Oct.28 and runs through Nov. 2, she said.
Each day celebrants remember different people starting with babies that have died—“They’re considered angels” said Flores.
The oldest people are recognized on Nov. 1, and on Nov. 2 the spirits leave until the next year.
“Everything has to be bright—the colors have to be bright. That’s why we see so much red and orange. We repeat the stories of our ancestors over and over, and in that way we get to know our ancestors,” said Flores
“For me, it’s the smell associated with Dia de los Muertos,” she added. “The smell is very unique, very different. It takes me back to my childhood when my grandmother was cooking and my grandfather was decorating the altar with marigolds.”
Flores loves seeing The Museum offer workshops that help community members learn about Dia de los Muertos. And she’s doing her part teaching Wood River Valley youth Mexican folk dances through a series of Wednesday evening classes at BCRD’s Fitworks.
The students in the class will perform some of the dances they’ve learned at a free gathering on Saturday, Oct. 22, at The Hunger Coalition in Bellevue and at a concert by Las Cafeteras. The colorful dances are based on Mexico’s traditional music, the steps dating back to Colonial Mexico.
“In Mexico we start children dancing when they’re 3 years old—the younger the better,” said Flores. “The children hear the music and move their body to the rhythm in different ways--they learn how to express themselves.
“I’ve noticed they do not do so much of that in America. But I believe, if we did encourage them to dance, they’d have a better life with less anxiety and depression because they’re moving, because they’re moving.”
COMING UP:
- On Saturday, Oct. 1, San Diego artist Carlos Lecanda will offer a bilingual workshop on “The Making of an Artisan Catrina” for those 21 and older from 10 am. to 4 p.m. at the Hailey Classroom, 314 South Second Ave. Cost is $10 and pre-registration is recommended. The Catrina is an elegantly dressed skeleton that has become the most recognizable symbol of Day of the Dead.
- On Thursday, Oct. 6, Regina Marchi will offer a free presentation on “Day of the Dead: An Ancient and Modern Multimedia Celebration” at 6 p.m. at Ketchum’s Community Library. She will discuss the altars that families and communities create to honor loved ones they have lost.
- On Tuesday, Oct. 18, “The House on Mango Street” author Sandra Cisneros will offer a lecture at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater in Hailey at 6 p.m. Cost is $15 for adults and $5 for students.
- On Friday, Oct. 21, Las Cafeteras will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater in Hailey. Tickets are $15 for SVMOA members, $25 for nonmembers and $5 for students 18 and under.
- On Saturday, Oct. 22 SVMoA will invite the community to gather from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at The Hunger Coalition’s Bloom Community Food Center in Bellevue. Participants will make paper flowers, flower crowns and sugar skulls for Day of the Dead altars. They’ll get an opportunity to participate in a Mexican folk dance. And Las Cafeteras, a modern-day troubadour group from Los Angeles, will cap the day’s festivities with songs in Spanish and English.
- On Saturday, Oct. 29, a free Dia de los Muertos celebration will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at SVMoA’s Hailey House. Day of the Dead altars created by community partners will be displayed. The Hunger Coalition will serve up traditional food and Jarabe Mexicano will serve up a blend of Mexican folk, rock and Tex-Mex music.