Edith Villavicencio, owner of Garden of Edith flower shop and Jus’ Tacos in downtown South Orange, has created a community ofrenda in Spiotta Park for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the Mesoamerican holiday celebrated Nov. 1-2.
On the holiday, people create alters (ofrendas) to pay their respects and remember their deceased family members and welcome a return of their spirits with photos and marigolds and the favorite foods or other items of the departed.
Community members are invited to drop off photos of their departed loved ones at the ofrenda at Spiotta Park or at Jus’ Tacos across the street. (Bring photo copies or copies that you don’t need returned.)
“People come in and say ‘Your ofrenda is beautiful,’ but it’s not my ofrenda, it’s the community’s ofrenda,” Villavicencio said. “We hope it grows bigger each year.”
According to the South Orange Downtown social media, Dia de Los Muertos “is a joyful time that helps people remember the deceased and celebrate their memory. For centuries, the Indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica gathered to call on the spirits who traveled from the inframundo, (underworld) to return home. As the practice fused with Spanish influence, the tradition grew into the celebrations that still occur today in several Latin American countries and the U.S.”
Villavicencio said the ofrenda will stay up until Monday, November 3.
