Dia de los Muertos -- Holiday finds acceptance in Yakima

Sugar skulls. Multihued altars. Marigolds.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, one of Mexico's most celebrated and oldest traditions, is finding new followers in the Yakima Valley. And as Sunday's holiday approaches, more and more local businesses, places like Market Place Deli and Ron's Coin & Book, are erecting altars honoring the dead.

Jean Scheid, a chef for Essencia's bakery, is presenting chocolate figures of traditional skulls and of "La Catrina," a classic, skeletal, death-as-an-elegant lady character in Mexican folklore created by one of Mexico's greatest printmakers, José Guadalupe Posadas.

Last week, Essencia's display window was decorated with painted multicolored Mexican skeletons; a small altar made up of sugar skulls greeted customers at the entrance.

"We want to connect with the Hispanic community," Scheid says. "This is our way of celebrating Día de los Muertos."

In Mexico, the celebration dates back to when the Spaniards conquered Mexico in the 16th century, bringing their culture and Catholicism with them. The Aztecs and other native peoples had their own beliefs and traditions that could be traced back thousands of years. They believed in Mictlan, the other world, and had days dedicated to the dead. Over time, Día de los Muertos became a fusion of the Catholic All Saints Day and Aztec traditions.

In Yakima, the Yakima-Morelia Sister City Association has sponsored an altar exhibit in a storefront space on Yakima Avenue for the past four years.

Margaret Luera, who is organizing the fifth annual altar exhibit, says non-Latinos made most of the altars this year.

"They embrace it," Luera says. "It's like Memorial Day, but more lavish."

Dozens of community organizations are making altars this year, including the local Red Cross and the YWCA, Luera says.

Day of the Dead has also been embraced by cultural institutions like the Yakima Valley Museum and the downtown library. Like last year, a Day of the Dead concert will be held at The Seasons, featuring the Yakima Symphony Chamber Orchestra, the Yakima Symphony chorus and marimba musicians from Morelia, Mexico.

Though she likes the cultural and festive aspects of Día de los Muertos, Christina Pelayo, a Yakima resident, says the tradition has a special meaning for her. Last year, she created an altar dedicated to Anna, her 13-year-old daughter who was killed in Pasco in 1997. She said the altar was a way to help her heal from the tragic loss.

This year, Pelayo will be showing the altars at the Yakima Avenue exhibit to incoming students from all over the Valley. She said she believes that Día de los Muertos can be a good alternative to Halloween.

"It's a different way of seeing Halloween. The students see Halloween as ghosts, goblins," Pelayo said. "But the real meaning is All Saints Day, (remembering) our loved ones. We can teach them that."

Charles A. Coulombe, a Los Angeles-based writer who has studied the Day of the Dead in Mexico, says it's only natural that non-Latinos seem attracted to Día de los Muertos because all cultures have varying traditions in the way they honor the dead.

Contrary to popular belief, Día de los Muertos has a stronger Catholic than indigenous influence, he said. He's glad to see mainstream Americans adopting the Mexican holiday more and more, but he'd like to see it practiced more like it's done in Mexico, where people go to cemeteries Nov. 2 to pray for the dead.

"If one really wants to celebrate Día de los Muertos, first we must remember that this is for the dead. If you are Catholic, have some Masses said for them. If you have a family that has the custom of building an altar, do it," Coulombe said.

And even for those who don't celebrate these particular holidays, he said, "November is a good month to think about the loved ones we have lost."

* Joseph Trevino is the editor of El Sol de Yakima, the Yakima Herald-Republic's Spanish-language newspaper.

If you go

WHAT: Día de los Muertos Altar Exhibit.

WHEN: Noon-6 p.m., Saturday through Nov. 8.

WHERE: 317 E. Yakima Ave.

COST: Free.

ON THE WEB: www.yakimamorelia.org.

Other places with altars

* Market Place Deli, 304 E. Yakima Ave.

* Essencia Bakery, 4 N. Third St.

* Red Art Gallery & Studios, 30 N. Third St.

* Yakima Valley Library, 102 N. Third St.

* Ron's Coin & Book, 6 N. Third St.

* Yakima Valley Visitors Information Center, 101 N. Fair Ave.