by Ellen McHale | Oct 30, 2020 | Blog, Events, Exhibitions, New York Folklore, Programs, Ritual, Tradition
The Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a celebration that spans centuries. In its trajectory through the ages, the celebration has received influences from indigenous peoples, Catholicism, regional differences, and the creativity of those who construct the ofrenda, or altar.
Several elements are typically included on an ofrenda. Photographs of the departed are the centerpiece, as the ofrenda is built to honor and to invite those who have passed to the other world. These photos of the deceased are displayed alongside candles, saints’ pictures, skulls, offerings of food and drink, marigolds, incense, paper cut-outs or papel picado, salt, personal items, crosses, nuts and seeds, and water.
A special bread, pan de muertos, is provided to the deceased and to the living who visit an ofrenda. Pan de muertos is an essential element that has been recorded as originating in the 16th century contact between Spanish and Aztec civilizations. José Luis Curiel Monteagudo, in his book Azucarados Afanes, Dulces y Panes, says, “To eat pan de muertos is for the Mexican a true pleasure, considering the cannibalism of bread and sugar. The phenomena is treated with respect and irony. Defying death, they make fun of her by eating it.” As with the pan de Muertos, each of the items on the ofrenda have their own symbolism that relate to the deceased and their journey back to the living realm.
The three-day celebration of Día de los Muertos takes place on October 31, November 1, and November 2. In New York State, several celebrations are planned in many different locations. A few locations are the following:
- New York Folklore, 129 Jay Street, Schenectady presents an ofrenda, designed by community advocate Ana Lorena Diana, with support from the Schenectady Initiative Program and the Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fair Game. New York Folklore’s ofrenda will be available for viewing from October 31 through November 7, 2020.
- Glow Traditions, in Western New York, invites the public to their ofrenda which will be on view from October 27th through November 1 at the Mariachi de Oro Mexican Grill in Medina, NY, in collaboration with Leonel Rosario. In addition, visitors are invited to the virtual celebration and resource page at https://www.goart.org/glow-traditions/
- Arts Mid-Hudson, Poughkeepsie, is partnering with the Poughkeepsie Public Library and the City of Poughkeepsie for Día de los Muertos programming. Information and a calendar of events can be found at the Poughkeepsie Public Library https://poklib.org/day-of-the-dead-celebration-celebracion-del-dia-de-los-muertos/
- ArtsWestchester, in collaboration with with Edgar and Juana E. Pinyol and the White Plains Public Library, presented Dia De Los Muertos, a program featuring artists from the Mexican, Paraguayan, Bolivian, Ecuadorian, Guatemalan, and Peruvian communities of Peekskill and White Plains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUvO9A8uH-c&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2vjlvfGiqWUmINMLzIHYDvnNWrxYrkMfyHTTeD0jeCoc6pkdZZxgxe20A
- Bronx Documentary Center and Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders, 614 Cortland Avenue Bronx, NY have created a special “COVID-19” ofrenda, dedicated to those who have lost their lives to COVID-19.
Finally, visit the web-pages of NYSCA Living Traditions to view videos and other programmatic materials related to Día de los Muertos in New York, including building an ofrenda and making a traditional Oaxacan sand painting.
https://nytraditions.org/digital-heritage/dia-de-los-muertos-ofrendaday-dead-ofrenda
https://nytraditions.org/digital-heritage/oaxacan-sand-painting-dia-de-los-muertosday-dead
For more information or to view images and/or videos relating to Día de los Muertos, visit this beautiful visual documentary site of Dane Strom:
https://danestrom.com/day-of-the-dead-altar-meaning-jalisco-mexico/
Image courtesy of Aurelia Fernandez
by Kay Turner | Sep 8, 2020 | Blog, Events
Starting on Monday, September 7 and running through Friday, September 11, people throughout the country will create grassroots memorials dedicated to naming the lost who have died from Covid-19. In homes and yards, on street corners and stoops, in cities from Portland to Austin to Brooklyn, these memorials make our grief visible. This “labor of mourning” is initiated by Naming the Lost Memorials, a group of artists, activists, and folklorists who have been making public awareness memorials in New York City since May. They invite people everywhere to join them in making memorials during the week that begins with Labor Day on September 7 and ends with the 19th anniversary of September 11, 2001, when spontaneous memorials arose throughout New York City in response to the deaths of nearly 3,000 New Yorkers in the attack on the World Trade Center.
As the United States nears 200,000 deaths due to Covid-19, Naming the Lost Memorials sees grassroots memorials filling a real need. “There has been no national day of mourning set aside for the Covid dead,” says folklorist Kay Turner. “So many people died alone, and burials and rituals have been deferred. While heads of state do not perform their solemn duties to comfort the afflicted and mourn the dead, the rest of us rise to confront this tragedy.”
Born in New York City, Frank DeCaro was a Professor of Folklore in the English Department of Louisiana State University from 1971-2004. He was the first Chair of the Louisiana Folklife Commission and was the editor of “The Louisiana Folklife Miscellany”. He was much loved by his fellow folklorists for his humor and generosity. He had a distinguished career as a folklorist. He died from COVID-19 in March 2020. We mourn his passing.
Those who are interested in participating in Naming the Lost Memorials can visit www.namingthelost.com/memorials to learn how to make a memorial, find public resources for researching names and stories of the dead, submit photos and videos to the archive, and more. During the week of creation, participants are invited to share their photos and videos using the hashtags #namingthelostmemorials and #namingthelost.
“Creating the memorials has been a way to recognize and honor those who have been lost, but also a way to connect us as a community as we work with artists, activists and scholars on this project–finding ways to not feel alone, to contribute and give back to our communities and lastly, to give voice to our disappointment, anger, and sadness concerning the way this crisis has been handled by those in a power,” said Elena Martinez, volunteer organizer of Naming the Lost Memorials.

Yitzhak Levy-Awami of Brooklyn, (on the left) was a wonderful dance teacher of Yemeni Dance traditions who participated in folk arts programs of the Brooklyn Arts Council. He worked for 28 years as a Paraprofessional for the New York City Department of Education, working for 25 of those years at P.S. 205 Clarion in Brooklyn, NY. We mourn his passing.

In Schenectady, New York Folklore invites people to visit their memorial at 129 Jay Street, Schenectady from September 9 – September 11, 2020. We invite anyone to post a photograph or other remembrance to honor a loved one lost to COVID-19.
In creating these memorials, we invite you to join us, in the labor of mourning.
Calvin Kaintuck of Elmont, NY learned to ride horses in Baltimore, MD and started out as a “hot-walker” in the stables of the Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore. He served in World War II, and when he returned from the war he studied electrical engineering. He made a career at Sylvania Electric in Oyster Bay, NY, all the while continuing to ride as an exercise rider at the Belmont and Aqueduct Racetracks. When interviewed for the Library of Congress in 2012, he was riding for trainer Cleveland Johnson, although he was 93 years old at the time. He died from COVID-19 in April 2020. We mourn his passing.