Seeing the cycle of life through a Mexican tradition Roosevelt will host 'Day of the Dead' festival Oct. 28-29 BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Noe Dominguz, of Perth Amboy, sets up an ofrenda, which is an altar, that will be used in the Mexican Day of the Dead ceremony in Roosevelt. ROOSEVELT - The souls of those who have already departed this earth are said to have a portal to return through in the autumn. "Day of the Dead," also called "Dia de los Muertos," is a holiday celebrated in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and other areas of North, Central and South America populated with people of the Latino ethnic background. This year, the autumn festival will come to Roosevelt. Although Nov. 2 is the official day that the Day of the Dead is celebrated, it is commonly held between Oct. 28 and Nov. 2, when Monarch butterflies return to Mexico from their migration to the north. "When the Monarch butterflies are in the air in Mexico starting around Oct. 28, we believe those are the souls of loved ones coming back so we get ready to celebrate," said Noe Dominguz, who has been working for a year putting together a Xantolo, or Day of the Dead festival, for Roosevelt. JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Candles, pictures, pottery, flowers and other items are used in a traditional Mexican Day of the Dead ceremony with the aim of enticing back to earth those souls who have departed. According to Dominguz, the festival, which will take place in the borough on Oct. 28 and 29, is considered the most important holiday of the year in Mexico. It has been celebrated since 1800 B.C., he said, and is believed to "welcome the souls of the dead" back to earth to enjoy the pleasures they once partook of in life here. The Day of the Dead has a complex history that has been transformed throughout the years. The festival is meant to be a time when families and communities remember those who have died, according to Dominguz. Although the celebration is associated with the deceased, it is not morbid or depressing, but rather a tradition focused on life, happiness, color, food, family, fun and tradition, according to Dominguz. "What I'm doing," Dominguz said, "is repeating what my grandmother and my mother used to do for my grandfather, my father and brother." The ceremony, which traditionally involves an altar and a procession to the cemetery, is not a grim or solemn one, according to Dominguz. "In Mexico, we don't cry to the dead ones - we sing to them," he said. The celebration usually involves dancing, eating, drinking and other bacchanalia, Dominguz said. Traditionally in Mexico, ofrendas, which are altars, are set up for the ceremony. They are adorned with flowers, pottery, incense, pictures of those who have passed, sweets, food and other trinkets, according to Dominguz. "You set up the altar to remember the loved ones no longer with you," Dominguz said. "For instance, my grandmother liked to play cards, so I place a deck of cards on the altar." The altar is set up differently on each of the two days of the celebration, Dominguz said. "The first day," he explained, "is to remember the little kids who have passed on, and you set the altar with sweets, toys and little clothes." The second day of the celebration, according to Dominguz, is for the adults so children's items are removed and replaced with spicy foods, tequila and other items that would seem to entrance them back. Dominguz, who has taken it upon himself to keep the Day of the Dead tradition in his family, has set up altars for the past three years. The first festival he hosted took place while he was still living in Mexico. Last year, he hosted one in his new hometown of Perth Amboy. This year, he will host the one in Roosevelt. Although Dominguz keeps many of the traditions his mother, Jovita Paz Urquiza, did with the ceremony for his grandfather, Jose Paz, he said each generation brings something different to the celebration. "My generation, we have skulls made out of sugar that we give to people with their names written on them," Dominguz said. "If you travel around Mexico, you would see it is different in each area, but the No. 1 place for the celebration is Michoacan." Common symbols run through each celebration, and skulls and skeletons are images that are repeatedly used, Dominguz said. However, he said, the bones do not represent something morbid, as in Aztec tradition skeletons did not represent death, but rather life and knowledge, according to Dominguz. "In Aztec tradition, the goddess of life had a skull as a face," he said. Another symbol of the celebration is the marigold, whose scent is supposed to linger into the other realms and entice the souls back into this world, according to Dominguz. Throughout his lifetime of experiences with the Day of the Dead celebration, Dominguz said what mostly remains in his mind are the various scents. "Marigolds - their smell is like opera," Dominguz said. "Either you hate or you love that smell." He further explained the way the ceremony entices the senses by telling a story of when he first came to America and started learning English three years ago. He said a teacher once scolded him for writing "Mexico is delicious." "Mexico is delicious," he said. "It is delicious because of its every combination of smells, images, colors, activities, celebrations - its laughter and its crying. "It's like when you prepare mole [a Mexican dip]," he continued, "and you mix almonds, peppers, plantains and everything together to get one thing. This is Mexico, and it is delicious." Dominguz said he wants to share his enthusiasm for his culture with the people of Roosevelt, which is why he decided to hold his Xantolo in the community this year. "I brought it to Roosevelt because this is a town full of artists and unconventional people who are always ready to see and to learn new things," he said. Hosted by James Hayden's The Eleanor Gallery on Oscar Drive, and in conjunction with the Roosevelt Arts Project, the two-day weekend festival will encompass many aspects of the celebration. On Oct. 28 at 8 p.m., Dominguz will give a presentation of the ofrenda - which is Spanish for "offering" - along with an educational talk on the tradition. There will also be a performance by the group Mexico Beyond Mariachi, which includes Alda Reuter and Cecelia Ortega. Earlier that day, Mexico Beyond Mariachi will be entertaining a New York audience at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Those who are unable to get to New York City, however, can make Roosevelt their destination to see this acclaimed group of Mexican performers. On the second day of the celebration, on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m., Dominguz will lead a borrachera, which is a procession. During the borrachera, Dominguz and other participants will carry a coffin, as in a traditional processional, to the Roosevelt cemetery where Roosevelt residents Ron Kostar, David Herrstrom and Judith McNally will all read poems by the Mexican-born poet Jaime Sabines. Dominguz explains Sabines' poems as heart-rending trips to the dark bottom of emotions. "They talk about death and life," Dominguz said. Like the poems, Dominguz said, the Day of the Dead celebration in Roosevelt is supposed to evoke excitement and remembrance. He will offer the Xantolo to his grandmother, Flavia Urquiza; to his brother, Christopher Torres; to the immigrants who have passed on; and to the students involved in the 1968 Mexican movement. Dominguz explained how those students were revolutionaries who had been killed by Mexican President Gustavo Daz Ordaz "because they were shaking the country of Mexico" and making demands of the government prior to the 1968 Olympic Games, which were held there. Above all, Dominguz said he feels that traditions from around the world should continue in the melting pot of America because "If you don't know where you are coming from, you cannot go anywhere." A $5 donation for the event will be accepted at the gallery door. For more information, contact The Eleanor Gallery at (609) 918-1233 or jimdesigns @ aol.com.