People around the world are celebrating Día de los Muertos on Wednesday and Thursday, honoring family, friends and loved ones that have died. While traditionally a Latino holiday, one D.C. group hopes everyone feels welcome to come and celebrate the holiday with them this weekend.
Día de los Muertos DC, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, will hold its 7th annual festival in Franklin Park and on the National Mall on Saturday.
“Grief is a universal feeling that we all experience and live with,” Ary Mondragón, co-founder of the event, told WTOP.
“It’s really all about remembering our ancestors, our loved ones, paying homage to those who have passed on,” said Kyle Mimms, another co-founder.
The event will start at 1 p.m. Saturday at Franklin Park with Mariachi music, traditional dances and calavera face painting.
“It’s like skull makeup you might have seen with elaborate flowers,” Mimms said. “Representing, we’re all the same underneath the skin.”
A processional will then head to the National Mall at the corner of 5th Street and Constitution Avenue NW at 3 p.m.
The official Día de los Muertos UNIDOS Benefit Festival then begins at 4 p.m. and is jammed-pack with music, art and dancing until the very early hours of Sunday morning.
“The Office of Latino Affairs … they have resources for the community, educational resources, jobs, trainings,” Mondragón said. “We’re going to have wellness workshops on how to calm yourself down.”
The centerpiece of the festival will be the Cross-Cultural Community Altar, “for folks to share a name, a photo, leave a belonging reminiscent of the person who’s passed away,” Mimms said.
“It just provides a channel of release,” he added.
Traditionally, photos of ancestors and loved ones who have passed away are placed on the altar, called an ofrenda, but Mondragón points to a time she left a cup of coffee for her uncle who loved the piping hot beverage.
“It’s really that item that represents the physical connection,” she said.
Visitors are able to request online for the group to create a memory flag in advance to honor a loved one of their choice. The flags are free of charge in an effort to promote healing and remembrance.
While the holiday originated in Mexico, Mondragón emphasizes it is meant for everyone.
“It’s not a Mexican holiday. It is a human holiday,” she told WTOP. “Everybody is invited to come and connect and participate. Because we’re all one, we’re human. And that’s our message.”
