Yes, Día de los Muertos — the Day of the Dead — is celebrated with depictions of skeletons and skulls. And yes, it happens to come just after Halloween. But no, it is not meant to be scary or spooky.
Instead, it is a joyful reunion, a time to commune with the spirits of loved ones who have died. According to Rosalía Angulo, a local Mexican cultural artist, the celebration originated in the Aztec Empire in what is now Mexico, before the Conquistadors came from Spain. Millions of migrating monarch butterflies begin arriving in Mexico around this time of year, and the Aztecs thought they were the souls of the departed coming for a visit.
When the Europeans arrived, they added Catholic ideas and traditions to the celebrations, and the holiday began to spread across Latin America, says Angel Recci of Telemundo St. Louis. In recent years, it has been gaining more and more notice in the United States and has become especially popular after the 2017 animated Pixar film "Coco," which is set on the Day of the Dead.
St. Louis will have celebrations this weekend at the Missouri History Museum and the Delmar Loop, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will perform the music to the movie "Coco" while the film is being screened.
The history museum celebration will be Saturday and Sunday. Front and center of the museum's activities will be an altar created by Angulo. Altars with ofrendas — offerings — on them are a vital part of Día de los Muertos celebrations, says Recci.
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