Dia de Muertos – Manchester ofrenda dedicated to Covid19 Victims

Manchester Central Library
Until 7th November

By Magaly Flores.

The Day of the Dead is a deeply personal, significant occasion, one during which families of Mexican heritage come together to rejoice in the belief that death is a natural part of life, and that relatives who have died are never truly gone. Ofrendas (altars) paying homage to the deceased are set up in homes, and offerings are made to them at graveyards.

This year for all the Mexicans its going to have a big impact as the cemeteries are not going to be open and so they will not be able to go to the graves as they have been doing for years and follow the tradition passing down from generation to generation.

Since I have been living in England I feel to be close to home by not breaking my Grandmother and my Mother’s traditions and creating an Altar year after year at home and in some schools and public places.

For the second year in succession I have had the privilege of being able to display the Altar in the iconic setting of the famous Central Library in Manchester.

The Altar has all the elements that a traditional Mexican Altar has even though each region of México has their own particular ways.

The altar is created with authentic items made by artisans from different parts of Mexico that I have been collecting with much care and love through my travels down the years. Some of the materials are items sewn and embroidered by hand and I am using another traditional garment that we call rebozo (shawl), a vital companion of the woman throughout her whole life.

The Altar is in honour to all those who have passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I know we are living through a difficult time and it will be very hard for you visit it, so I’m sharing with you some photos and I hope you will like it and can share them also.

As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my work and culture.  #DíaDeMuertos