Advertisement

How Latinx Witches Are Celebrating Their Ancestors in 2020

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

From Cosmopolitan

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day are upon us. During this time of year, Latinx cultures honor the past and pay their respects to their ancestors. Relatives who have descended into the spiritual realm come back to the physical plane and reunite with their family for a day of celebration, food, dance, and music.

Normally, many people would celebrate with families or friends, and maybe attend an event or parade. The coronavirus pandemic, of course, changes things. But whether they're celebrating alone, virtually, or in small groups, "the ceremony must go on!" as professional witch Michael Cardenas says.

All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are typically celebrated during the first two days of November, while Día de los Muertos begins on November 2 in Mexico (but some start celebrating it on October 31 in the U.S.). On All Saints' Day, observers traditionally place flowers on the graves of their loved ones, eat pan de ánimas (a sugary bread), and leave offerings for their relatives who’ve passed away. Those celebrating Día de los Muertos might wear skull masks to honor the deceased, light candles and leave tributes on their altars in memory of them, prepare a huge meal with family members, and eat pan de muerto (a sweet cookie decorated with skull faces).

Witches believe that the end of October and beginning of November is one of the most sensitive times of the year. These days fall in between the fall equinox and winter solstice, when the veil between worlds is thinned and spirits can come to the material plane. This is why these holidays are important to magic practitioners of Latinx descent—these celebrations help guide their spells and intentions. Here are how some Latinx witches are celebrating the Day of the Dead, All Saints' Day, or All Souls' Day this year:

Bri Luna, owner and creative director of The Hoodwitch

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“I celebrate by creating my largest ancestral altar of the year. I include everything from photographs of my passed ancestors and friends, to their favorite foods, libations, candles, and a multitude of flowers (marigolds), as well as offerings of copal resins. I take my time and trust my intuition when I set up my altar; it's a special process that connects me to my ancestors and friends. This is a time for celebration of life, so my feelings are very nostalgic. I play music and really sit with the feelings of joy I have, knowing that our memories that will never be forgotten, and neither will they.”

Marissa Malik, artist, astrologer, & DJ

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“My must-have ritual items are always my gold jewelry, yellow candles, salt, cumin, loud music, and rosemary. I’m of mixed heritage; my maternal ancestry is Mexican and my paternal ancestry is Pakistani. Gold jewelry is a beautiful common denominator that allows me to feel connected to all of my ancestors when celebrating. On any given day I’m usually decked out in gold, but on Día de los Muertos, you can bank on this being especially true. The days between the 31st and 2nd are the only time of year I’ll take off my heirloom ring and leave it on the altar.

“I’ve always been far physically away from my extended Mexican family on Día de los Muertos, but this has never stopped my immediate family from celebrating in our own beautiful fusion of traditional practices and contemporary American festivities. We may not have traveled to the graves of our departed family, but the ‘Halloween’ skulls in our house looked different from those of our non-Latinx neighbors! The days around ‘Halloween’ involved long phone calls with my abuela and tias and pan de polvo cookies. For the past few years, I’ve been physically far away from all of my family members—extended and immediate. This has tested my spiritual practice and pushed me to be more independent and intuitive with my celebration. I’m in charge of the phone calls, the altar building, and connecting to spirit. It’s been a test to my brujeria that I’ve loved living up to."

Sonia Ortiz, astrologer, tarot reader, and witch

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“As a Cuban, I do not celebrate Day of the Dead, but I do celebrate All Saints' Day on November 1st, and All Souls Day on November 3rd. On these days, I usually set up and refresh my ancestral altar. My must-haves include fresh glasses of water in sets of three, coffee, a small plate of food, and dessert. I usually play the music my ancestors like or watch a movie we enjoyed together. This isn’t a one-day event; I will also schedule a mass for them throughout the year. Many people celebrate with friends or family, but I do tend to celebrate by myself. Since my ancestral altar is at home, the virus has not affected me, personally. If anything, I will call other people who practice and wish them well.”

Michael Cardenas, professional witch and psychic medium

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“Día de los Muertos is more of weeklong celebration, so each day, the connection is different. Under normal circumstances, I would get together with a few of my brujas. We would get decked out in full calavera makeup and celebrate at the oldest cemetery in town, where traditional celebrations are still held right at the graves of dead. We toast, burn copal, sing, dance, pray, and cry. It’s a really beautiful tradition.

“This year, the ceremony must go on! The ancestors were resilient and we are their descendants. I will still be celebrating all week by building an altar and leaving offerings, but I will be doing this with my partner instead of a group. I plan on making green posole and cornbread, drinking mezcal, and dancing to very loud mariachi music—all of which are family favorites. The party continues, even in death!”

Angie Jaime, journalist and audience strategist

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“Since my grandmother's passing, I've made a habit of setting out an altar every year for Dia de Muertos. It's a way of keeping my connection to her alive, and a moment when I can think about not only her and our relationship, but my relationship to my great-grandma, her mother, as well. Setting out her photo or photos of them together, and some of my grandma's favorite things—pan dulce, coffee, a little milk—is a physical embodiment of the memories we shared together. I remember her eating bread and coffee in the mornings, the sound of her spoon clinking against a coffee cup bright and early every morning, her teaching me how to drink cafe con leche in the mornings before preschool. Those quiet moments we shared every day still warm my heart every time I think about them.

“Unfortunately, I'm going to be apart from my family this year, but will I observe from home with an altar, and possibly by tuning into online programming from the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago (where my family lives). It will definitely be a more muted expression, which is really unfortunate because Día de Muertos is such a celebration of the joy of life and its relationship with death. It’s a way to process grief and mourning in a joyful way and in community, which we could all use right now.”

Tchesmeni, magic practitioner

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“The Day of the Dead is a significant opportunity for me to connect with my ancestors in a more intimate way. This tradition keeps me grounded and reminded of the power of the ancestral lineage that flows through me. There have been a lot of spiritual shifts for me this year, so I plan to give thanks to ancestors for bringing forth these changes, and I hope to receive insight from my female ancestors about how to navigate these changes.”

Narayana Montúfar, Senior Astrologer for Astrology.com

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“Day of the Dead celebrations are going to be quite different this year. I and my family will still set up an ofrenda, but the actual celebration itself is going to be smaller, and there will not be a parade. In a way, it will be nice to have less noise so we can focus more deeply on our intentions. In a year in which going within has been one of the strongest themes, establishing a connection with the people we love but who are no longer physically here holds the key to figuring out what’s next for us—helping us trust the process, regardless of how hard it is.”

Valeria Ruelas, “the Mexican Witch” and author of Cosmopolitan Love Potions

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“A lot of people want to talk about the beauty of the Day of the Dead, but we often don’t talk about the pain. It is equal parts pain and beauty. This is something I really appreciate about my Mexican culture: We have somehow turned pain into beauty and magic. During this time, I make sure I have safe spaces to cry and to reflect on the truth and sadness of losing someone. The Day of the Dead strengthens our character and makes us better people, because if we cry and heal, then we can release ancestral trauma and process death so that it doesn’t become our greatest fear.”

Chiquita Brujita, magic maker and founder of Brooklyn Brujeria

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

"I practice ancestor work all year around—whether through ritual offerings, building altars, or simple daily acknowledgements of their divine light and protection. As I have for the past several years, I will be building a public altar to serve as a portal for mourning and manifestation. By actively mourning—a process of honor, grief, rage, release, acceptance, and gratitude—I hope to be able to build a space that will serve to activate the manifestations we need to see us through whatever is next to come.”

Ever Velasquez, curandera, aborisha, artist, and zinemaker

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“I honor my ancestors every day with my first breath in the morning and my last thoughts before I go to sleep. I tend my bovida (ancestral spiritual altar) every day without fail. For me, my practice isn't just something I do during Day of the Dead, but a way of life. I ensure that I honor the spirits with food and drink every day, along with fresh flowers and special treats on holidays.”

Arhinna Luciano, tarot life coach

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

"This year, setting up my altar has been very special and an important family bonding time. Normally, we have an altar to our loved ones all year. I use it for teachable moments for my daughters to talk and bond with my grandparents and now my mom. This year we are focusing on stories about my mom and how she has molded us.

“My mother transitioned in June 2020, and this was when I learned how important honoring your ancestors is. When we returned from the hospital, I had to explain to my five-year-old that Mimi was not coming home. Her response was, ‘She is with Grandma now, so let’s add her to the altar.’ Over these months, she has taught me how to make our ancestors part of our everyday life by offering them sweets and favorite family dishes, singing to them, and even making special art projects.

“Although this is a month that this practice is highlighted, this is something we practice daily. These moments at the altar are how we connect and honor our ancestors for what they have taught us and what they continue teaching us. On Halloween, the girls will give them some of their favorite candy and pray with them. We also honor them with a traditional family meal and share our favorite memories with each other. This is a time to remember where we came from and how blessed we are as a family, in life and in spirit.”

Nadia Alvarez, green witch and herbalist

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“Last year, while sitting at my altar and praying, I really hoped to make a connection with my late grandpa. I called out to him and asked for him to come to me in my dreams, to let me know he received my message and offerings, and to offer me a sign in return. My dream didn’t come the next night, but it came a few weeks later, when I needed it even more. It was comforting and exactly the message that I needed. I know that was his way of letting me know that he did hear me, loud and clear, and that he’s always with me.”

Emilia Ortiz, bruja

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

“I work with my ancestors on a daily basis, but the Day of the Dead and days like it are extra special for a few reasons. The veil is thinned, and our connection is even stronger. It is essential in maintaining the bond I have with them, and an opportunity to connect in a very special way. For me, it feels like being wrapped in a warm hug, like the ones my Abuelita embraced me in, even when the messages are hard to hear.”

Taylor Cordova, artista, curandera, and botánica owner

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

"I keep and tend to my ancestral altar year round, but for Dia De Los Muertos, it becomes even more of a family affair, as other members of my family add onto it and help tend to it. To me, it feels similar to having family in from out of town and hosting them in my home, so of course, before we start any altar work, we do what anyone would do before hosting loved ones, elders, or distant family in our home: WE DEEP CLEAN THE HOUSE! After we deep clean the house, we burn copal resin to energetically purify it. THEN we build the altar.

“To show gratitude and to make them feel most welcome, we light white candles and bring their favorite foods, lots of sweets, fresh fruit, water, liquor, and beer to the altar. I am big on altar work in general, and one of my favorite parts of crafting this particular sacred space is adorning the altar with the cempaxochitl (marigold flowers) and placing them carefully, as these are our beacons to light the way of the our muertos (our deceased) as they journey toward us and our homes. We play their favorite songs and we all dance, pour libations, and celebrate together, knowing that they are celebrating right alongside us. It's moving to feel how much the energy of the altar is really amplified at this time of the year. I always feel so humbled by bringing them hot coffee in the mornings and smoking cigars with them at night. It's really like a mystical family reunion, and a very spiritual experience that I always cherish and look forward to each year.”

You Might Also Like