Casa de Cultura hosted its fourth annual Día de los Muertos festival in downtown Lexington, Ky., to honor loved ones who have died.
The event featured performances from local schools and dance studios, such as Maxwell Elementary, as well as several vendors and a communal ofrenda at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse plaza on Sunday, Nov. 2.
Dia de los Muertos is a centuries-old holiday originating in Mexico, observed from Nov. 1 to 2 every year to ensure the memories of the dead live on, according to Monica Calleja, founder and director of Casa de Cultura.
“This is their day. This is the day to remember their life,” Calleja said. “A reminder for us to enjoy every moment of your life, because we all want to die one day.”
Casa de Cultura is a nonprofit organization that promotes Latino culture through events and programs in Lexington, according to Calleja.
Beginning as a small celebration in 2022, Calleja said she created the festival to bring Mexican culture to the city of Lexington.
“From all the traditions that are from Mexico, Dia de los Muertos is the one that people adopt more,” Calleja said. “Because everybody has somebody who passed away.”
With the event taking place downtown for the first time his year, Calleja said they have seen an influx of people from all over the city coming to celebrate Día de los Muertos.
As an immigrant from Mexico, Calleja said she has celebrated Dia de los Muertos from a young age, creating an ofrenda every year.
An ofrenda is an altar created to celebrate those who have died, with essential aspects of their life highlighted through objects and photos, according to Calleja.
In front of the plaza stage, a large ofrenda allowed attendees to add a photo, flower or anything they chose, Calleja said.
“It (the ofrenda) could be very personal, or it could be in remembrance of many people,” Calleja said. “Everybody had their way to express their feelings to an ofrenda.”
Armando Chavez, the event’s emcee, said that Nov. 1 is meant to celebrate children who’ve died and Nov. 2 is for adults.
“They (children) are remembered with a glass of milk, a glass of water and candle because they didn’t have the opportunity to share or enjoy everything in the ofrenda,” Chavez said.
Not only are foods used to remember loved ones, but a yellow flower called cempasuchil is also associated with this tradition.
“That is the flower that will guide them (the dead) to come here and find the way to their family,” Chavez said.
Traditions are key to the festival, Chavez said, allowing immigrants or anyone of Mexican heritage to remember their home.
“This is the small link that we can have to our roots, to our traditions,” Chavez said. “Also to show the next generations the meaning of all these traditions, and hopefully they (traditions) don’t die.”
Izamar Delaluz, a jewelry and clothing vendor, said her family has been working the festival since its inception and loves seeing her culture honored among the Lexington community.
Growing up celebrating the holiday, Delaluz said she wants to make sure that new generations keep the traditions alive, whether they celebrate Día de los Muertos or not.
“I worked at a school, and I was able to put up my own, like, altar or ofrenda,” Delaluz said. “It was really cool to see people come into the classroom and see it and ask questions.”
Every year, Delaluz said she puts up her ofrenda to honor the dead. This year her ofrenda features her grandma, two aunts and several friends.
While she remembers her loved ones every day of the year, Delaluz said it’s special to have two days dedicated just to loved ones, allowing them to know just how much they are missed.
“I actually got really emotional last night putting ours up, and like seeing their pictures, but I have to remember that they’ll come to visit,” Delaluz said. “It’s really nice to keep their memory alive.”
