About San Anto Cultural Arts' Dia De Los Muertos Barrio Procession

In the Spring of 2001, San Anto Cultural Arts invited representatives of several community organizations, residents, and supporters of community cultural arts initiatives to a meeting to discuss the idea of creating and organizing a Day of the Dead event within the immediate community surrounding San Anto. What was developed was a Day of the Dead Community Procession that utilizes the natural beauty, resources and people of our community, in order to keep this ancient tradition alive.

The San Anto Cultural Arts (SACA) Dia De Los Muertos Barrio Procession and Community Altar is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Dia De Los Muertos celebration. It is intended to bring together people of all walks of life, and is a time and place created to remember and pay homage to friends, family and even enemies who have passed on.

The 2003 SACA DDLM procession took place on Sunday, November 2nd. Over 200 community residents from all parts of San Antonio attended celebration. The procession included three stops. The first procession stop took place at the corner of Trinity and San Patricio Streets, at the "Peace and Remembrance" Mural. The 1st stop featured live music by musical prodigy, Juan Castillo; poetry readings by Victoria Garcia Zapata Klein; face painting; and a blessing by Father Marty Elsner from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

A special ceremony that is conducted at the first stop involves a family adding a name of a loved one to the "Peace and Remembrance" Mural, which was created in order to memorialize people from our community who have passed away due to violence. This ceremony is very moving and has become an important component to the Day of the Dead celebration, allowing families to Mourn, together, the tragic loss of loved ones.

The second stop of the procession took place at the corner of Trinity and El Paso and featured a street teatro skit performed by the Grupo Amino theatre group from the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center.

The third and final stop took place at the San Jacinto Senior Home and featured live music by Sandy Sanchez, DJ Jay Lopez, street teatro by Mad Media and food prepared by the residents of the San Jacinto Senior Home. The last stop also featured the blessing of the community altar that was built and created in front of the Senior Home on El Paso St.

San Anto Cultural Arts' 2003 Dia De Los Muertos celebration was a huge success, attended by over 200 people from throughout San Antonio, Texas and the U.S. San Anto would like to thank all the individuals, families and organizations who, since 2001, have given of their time, talents and energy to make our Dia De Los Muertos celebration a unique, spiritual and beautiful event - Estevan Arredondo, Marisela Barrera, Veronica Barrientos, Rosalinda Cisneros, Isaac Cardenas, Pat Castillo, Pilar Chapa, Patti Elizondo Father Marty Elsner, Fernando Flores, Andi Garcia, Victoria Garcia Zapata Klein, Elisa Gonzales, Xelena Gonzalez, David M. Gonzalez, Jessica Heredia, La Familia Deleon, Jay "DJ Feep Feel" Lopez, Jane Madrigal, Marcos E. Marquez, Victoria Garcia De Marquez, Louis Mendoza, Martin Olivares, Cruz Ortiz, Patti Radle, Jose "Bat" Ramirez, Laurie Ramirez, Eli Rios, Mary Agnes Rodriguez, Sarai Rodriguez, Alex Rubio, Rebecca Rush, Susana M. Segura, Vince Valdez, Arturo Vasquez, Alex Villegas, Maria Ybarra, Pat Ybarra, Oak Farms, Fiesta Store, Los Seniors Del San Jacinto Home, Inner City Home School Students and Staff, American Indians In Texas/Spanish Colonial Missions, Grupo Animo Discover Animo, Sandy Sanchez, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Mad Media, P.E.A.C.E. Initiative, Elizondo1s Flowers, Robert's Flowers, Segovia Candy Co., Grupo Amable.

How to get involved

To get involved with the San Anto Cultural Arts' Dia De Los Muertos celebration (as a volunteer committee member or to donate funds or items needed for the celebration) please contact us at consafos@sananto.org /226-7466. The first planning meeting for the annual celebration usually takes place in early April.

History

El dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a celebration that captures the idea of unity between life and death. It emphasizes death as part of the cycle of life. It came into being when the Catholic feast of All Souls Day, a day to remember the dead with prayer, merged with Native Indian rituals of death after the Spanish conquered Mexico in 1521.

El Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st, when, it is believed, the spirits of the dead relatives return to their homes. For this special occasion, altars are cleaned and decorated on October 31st to welcome the honored guests. On these altars one traditionally places Zempasuchil(yellow Marigolds), candles, toys, religious pictures, cut tissue-paper decorations, and personal mementos as offerings to the returned souls. Other offerings include incense, cigarettes, liquor, and food such as tamales, sugar skulls, and pan de muerto (bread of the dead), things the returning soul enjoyed during life.

At around 4:00 A.M. on November 1st, the spirits of the children are expected. They are expected for only a few hours and around 8:00 A.M., their departure is marked by the blowing out of tiny candles and their removal from the altar. At about 3:00 P.M. the spirits of the adults arrive and large candles are lit. It is said that the spirits will go away weeping if nothing is offered to them.

Prayers are said at the altar around 8:00 P.M., and everyone attends mass at church on the morning of November 2nd. In the evening, they will fill the cemeteries where graves of the departed relatives are cleaned and decorated with Zempasuchil flowers. Once there, incense is burned and food is offered until dawn. On November 4th, the altars and decorations are removed.