Before All Souls, There's Día de los Muertos

By Mari Herreras

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There's a reason why the All Souls Procession was scheduled the second Sunday of November rather than the first this year, and it's a good reminder that before All Souls and the thousands who gather to walk downtown thinking of loss and memorial, there was Día de los Muertos. On Thursday, Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m., at La Pilita Museum, 420 S. Main Ave., Tucson author Elena Diáz Bjorkquist will do a platica or informal talk, funded by the Arizona Humanities, on the holiday and how it is celebrated in Mexico, Latin America and the Southwest. This year, the holiday begins Saturday, Nov. 1 and ends Sunday, Nov. 2. According to Diáz Bjorkquist, in order to truly understand the Days of the Dead, you have to set aside preconceived notions. In Mexico, this starts by the realization that death is not to be feared, ignored or divorced from the living—life is celebrated, as well as death.