All Saints Day and Día de los Muertos gather Catholics of different cultures to honor the dead

Friday, Oct. 24, 2014

SALT LAKE CITY– On Nov. 1 Catholics from all over Utah will celebrate All Saints Day, which commemorates all the departed who are in heaven. 

Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery is in full gear to prepare for that day.

On the Feast of All Saints and also the following day, the Feast of All Souls, visitors to the cemetery often bring flowers to the graves and crypts and spend some time remembering their departed family members and friends.

Maria Mendez is one of those who carries on this tradition. Every year she goes to the store to select some flowers to place on her grandparents’ grave.

“My grandmother loved roses and my grandfather made sure that their rose bushes were always in shape and blooming, so this is a very special flower that reminds me of them,” said Mendez.

 Through her Hispanic heritage, Mendez also celebrates her grandparents on the Day of the Dead, (Día de lost Muertos in Spanish), which is Nov. 2; this is also the Feast of All Souls.

For this festivity, Mendez makes an altar in her house on which she places the images of both of her grandparents.

“My grandma raised me since I was very young, and she remembered every Day of the Dead to put an altar in the house, so basically she taught me this tradition,” said Mendez.

On the Día de los Muertos, the tradition in Latin America is for people to honor the departed ones with celebrations that include festivals, altars, food and decorations.

“The celebration combines Aztec rituals with Catholicism, or at least that’s what my grandma used to tell me,” said Mendez.

Día de los Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased with food that the dead enjoyed in life.

In Utah, various locations such as Thanksgiving Point, the Utah Cultural Celebration Center and the Riverside Library offer Day of the Dead celebrations that include displays, music, food and different activities.