Denver Catholic

12 I LOCAL NEWS OCTOBER 30, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER Faith brings life to Day of the Dead BY JULIE FILBY DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATIONS Father Mauricio Bermudez has fond memories of celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) while growing up in Puebla in southern Mexico. He remembers building colorful altars with his family to honor and celebrate deceased loved ones. The altars were adorned with flowers, candles, photographs, crucifixes and figurines of saints. "I enjoyed it every year," said Father Bermudez, who moved to the United States 10 years ago. He is pastor of St. William Church in Fort Lupton and its mission church Our Lady of Grace in Wattenberg. Dia de los Muertos has its 3,000-year-old roots in the Aztec culture. When Spanish missionaries arrived in Mexico 500 years ago, and influenced the people with Christianity, the celebration evolved into a mix of both cultures. Today it remains one of the most popular holidays in Mexico, and has moved beyond Mexico to many countries, including the United States. Where: Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver When: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 1 Cost: $12 adults, $8 children ages 3-12 Tickets: www.botanicgardens. org Questions: 720-865-3500 Where: Longmont Museum and Cultural Center, 400 Quail Road, Longmont When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2 Cost: free Nov. 2 (other days exhibit $5) Online: www.longmont museum.org Questions: 303-651-8374 Catholic Feast Days Nov. 1: Solemnity of All Saints (holy day of obligation) Nov. 2: Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day) Combining cultures Day of the Dead celebrations trace back to month-long festivals celebrated by the indigenous peoples of Mexico, dedicated to the mythical goddess Mictecacihuatl, believed to rule over the afterlife—specifically watching over the bones of the dead. The festival was held in August, the ninth month of the Aztec calendar. During the season the Aztecs built elaborate altars that contained gifts offered to celebrate the continuum between life and death. They considered death part of the cycle of life and welcomed the deceased back for the annual celebration. Through the Christian influence of Spanish missionaries, who arrived in the 16th PHOTO BY ROBERT LINN FOR THE DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER AN ALTAR at Denver Botanic Gardens honors martyrs Blessed Father Miguel Pro, left, executed for defending the faith during the Cristero War in Mexico in the 1920s; and Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Río, right, a 14-year-old Cristero put to death in 1928 when he refused to renounce his faith. century, the date of the holiday was moved to coincide with All Saints' Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls' Day (Nov. 2). Catholic practices such as Masses, prayer vigils, rosaries, novenas and religious iconography were incorporated into the festivities. "There is some controversy," said Father Bermudez. "Some people think it needs to be more religious, there need to be more Christian elements. "With my family and my grandmother it was very devotional, very Christian," he continued. "We always had a crucifix on the altar … how Christian a family is will impact (how they celebrate)." He encouraged Catholics to highlight the Christian elements of the tradition. Traditions While customs vary from place to place, according to Father Bermudez, there are elements and practices most celebrations hold in common, including building an altar. Obituaries, Funeral Notices, In Memoriam Let your friends in the Catholic Community know... The paper publishes each Wednesday, the deadline is Tuesday at noon for the next week's issue. To place an Obituary, Funeral Notice or In Memoriam in the Denver Catholic Register, contact Linda at: 303-715-3212 Email: linda.engel@archden.org E E Yvonne Garcia, community relations coordinator at the gardens. "It's meant to be whimsical, bright and colorful." Garcia has firsthand knowledge of celebrations growing up in southern Texas, near the Mexican border. "We will try to recreate the experience," she said, "though it's really hard to duplicate." Celebrations often started with a Mass the evening of Oct. 31, she said, followed by a procession to a cemetery where graves were cleaned and decorated. Loved ones then held allnight vigil in the cemetery before returning home to set up an altar, often followed with prayer, an open house and a feast. The celebration lasted until Nov. 2. "(It was believed) those who departed could come back and visit," she said. The water and food symbolized quenching thirst and hunger after a long journey. The Dia de los Muertos celebration "Remember, Honor, Celebrate" will be held at the Denver Botanic Gardens at 1007 York St. from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 1. In addition to the altar exhibition, it will include a procession through the gardens to a mock cemetery, traditional Aztec dancing, food and craft vendors, face painting and a photo booth. Tickets can be purchased at www.botanicgardens.org. In Longmont, the annual Dia de los Muertos Family Celebration, believed to be the largest in the state, will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center at 400 Quail Road. It will include altar exhibits, music, dancing, sugar skull decorating and other crafts. Admission is free. The exhibit will be up until Nov. 5. The cost on other days is $5, children are free. For more information, visit www.longmontmuseum.org. For the third consecutive year, the Denver Botanic Gardens will host a Dia de los Muertos celebration, with 10 families building altars for an exhibit. The vibrantly colored altars will be filled with photos of loved ones, along with ofrendas (offerings) of water and pan de muertos (bread of the dead) baked in the shape of skulls, bones and other figures; favorite foods and personal items of the deceased, sugar skulls or calvera, tissue paper skulls and bones called papel picado, candles, flowers—specifically yellow marigolds known as cempazuchitl—as well as rosaries and images of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, saints and angels. Julie Filby: 303-715-3123; "It started as a way to honor julie.filby@archden.org; www. cultural diversity," explained twitter.com/DCRegisterJulie Faith From Page 3 the awareness of God's presence a little more strongly." After several attempts to escape, Msgr. Quang was successful and eventually found himself in the Denver Archdiocese. In America, the struggle for faith is quiet, he said. Living in a free society creates a challenge that demands faithful to know and love the faith. "For the Catholic without the knowledge and love of faith, it is easy to fall into temptation," he said. Cultivating a love of faith must begin with each person, he said. He encouraged such love this year by encouraging the youths of his parish to sacrifice their time, talents, prayers or treasures as an "offering of faith and love for Jesus." Faithful can make similar acts of love and seek to grow and develop it. "Sometimes the life of faith seems so strong but sometimes so dark and scary and frustrating. Don't give up," he said. "We have to make a pilgrimage where we go back into our own heart and make a journey from outside of the world into the inner sanctuary and encounter the holiness of God in our hearts." Using this encounter, faithful can share the gift of their faith. "From that point of view, we should share that experience of faith."

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