Quad Cities celebrates Dia De Los Muertos

QUAD CITIES {KWQC} – With Halloween now over, November 1st and 2nd is Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday celebrating and remembering those that we have lost.

Throughout Halloween weekend, sugar skulls or calaveras are widely recognized. In addition to the second annual Dia de los Muertos Parade on Saturday, the Figge Art Museum will have their tribute of Dia de los Muertos scattered throughout the museum for the next month.

“We do our annual Dia de los Muertos events every year at the Figge,” said Figge Art Museum Engagement Coordinator Heather Aaronson. “We’ve done it for 18 years. We use it to teach and learn about our humanity and how we celebrate our last loved ones.”

The Figge will have their Dia de los Muertos exhibits throughout the museum until December 3rd. They encourage the public to see their ofrenda, alebrijes, and calaveras to celebrate the Mexican holiday.

Chris Ontiveros and his team from Mercado on 5th held a Dia de los Muertos Parade on Saturday. This year he added another photo on his family ofrenda.

“We honor them this year,” said Ontiveros. “My mother passed, Blenda Ontiveros and this is Blenda. Last year, it was my father, Robert Ontiveros. He’s the founder of Mercado on 5th with my daughter, Maria Ontiveros. This is my dad’s younger brother who died in 2006, but everyone here has lost a loved one.”

More than a thousand people came to the parade Saturday, enjoying the ofrendas and sugar skulls, and the Mariachi music.

To learn more of the Mexican holiday, you can click here.

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