Fairfield library celebrates ‘Day of the Dead’

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Public Library hosted a program on Mexico’s “Day of the Dead” (Día de los Muertos) Monday evening, complete with stories, food and crafts.

Children gathered round a couple of presenters, Enrique Baker and Melody Garcia, who read aloud books about the Day of the Dead. The holiday is celebrated Nov. 1-2, and is a time to honor loved ones who have passed away. This involves putting out an offering, or “ofrenda,” a table with pictures of deceased loved ones, objects that they cherished, and food they liked to eat.

Baker grew up in Connecticut, but since his mother is from Mexico, he grew up celebrating the Day of the Dead. Just like the characters in the books read that day, Baker said his family set up an altar above their fireplace where they put fruits, snacks and personal items belonging to their deceased family members and friends. For instance, they always put out a bottle of Coca-Cola for their grandfather, since that was his favorite drink.

Garcia said she grew up in Southern California, and her family honored the Day of the Dead every year, too. Her favorite part was making the “bread of the dead” or “pan de muerto” as it’s called in Spanish. This is bread baked specifically for the Day of the Dead celebration, and it’s unusual in that it’s shaped like bones, with a circle on top representing a skull. Even today, Garcia makes this bread from scratch. One of the customs of this holiday is to place the pan de muerto and marigolds on the graves of loved ones.

Garcia said it’s important to honor those who have passed on.

“Our memories of them are all that we have,” she said. “They continue to live on through our memories.”

Nohema Graber is a native of Mexico and a Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School. She said she teaches her classes about the Day of the Dead and how it’s celebrated in Mexico. Graber said her family celebrated the holiday, too, but mostly the religious service at the cemetery. The Day of the Dead has become a mixture of Catholic and pre-Hispanic traditions. For instance, the native people of Mexico believe that their deceased loved ones really visit them on the night of Day of the Dead, and that’s why it’s important to put food out for them.

Graber said she loves eating the food associated with the holiday, such as pan de muerto, hot chocolate and tamales. She said the holiday reflects the way Mexicans view death. For example, one of the traditions involves making skulls out of sugar, and decorating them. The name of a loved one is written on the forehead of the skull, which is then placed on the altar.

“We know we’re all going to die,” she said. “It’s our way of laughing at death.”