Día de los Muertos at Green-Wood Cemetery
Three day celebration to be held in Historic Chapel
From October 23 to November 1, the Green-Wood Cemetery is hosting a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Patrons are invited and encouraged to leave offerings on a community altar – flowers, notes, candles, photos, or other gifts to honor the departed.
Dia de los Muertos is a three day celebration primarily observed in Mexico and throughout the Mexican diaspora, extending across many Latin American communities. The holiday celebrates and honors those who have departed by creating ofrendas – private or public altars where loved ones can give offerings to their departed. It offers the living a space to reflect and reminisce on those that have been lost.
This year’s altar will be in the Historic chapel and was created by artist Scherezade Garcia specifically for the 2020 celebration. Garcia was inspired by traditional Dia de los Muertos altars, influenced by the papel picado from Mexico– brightly colored decorative paper with cut out designs. This year’s altar is appropriately named The Corona Altar, dedicated to all those who departed due to the coronavirus. Corona also refers to the crown worn by the rust-colored and weeping Statue of Liberty, the altar’s centerpiece. Garcia’s interpretation of the Statue of Liberty is a homage to the millions of immigrant communities that have found a home in New York, especially those who celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Garcia dedicated her altar to those who have departed due to the coronavirus.
