Day of the Dead Celebrations Held in Park Rapids and Bemidji

The tradition of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is being celebrated in the Lakeland viewing area.

In Park Rapids, the Giiwedinong Museum held an event on Wednesday to honor the deceased. The Mexican holiday of Day of the Dead is celebrated through ritual observations like constructing altars filled with offerings to the dead and decorating family gravesites to reunite with loved ones.

Day of the Dead is celebrated on Nov. 1 and ends Nov. 2, because it is believed that during those days the spirits of the dead return home to spend time with their families.

At the altars there are items like food and flowers, and each piece has a significance in the celebration. The orange flowers, marigolds, represent the sun, in which they help the deceased find their way back home.

Giiwedinong staff look forward to next year’s Day of the Dead celebration.

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Bemidji State University’s Department of Language Arts also celebrated Day of the Dead on Wednesday.

Since she began teaching at BSU, Dr. Miriam Rivera-Hokanson has hosted the event each year. In addition to teaching the Spanish language, she wants students to have a greater knowledge of Hispanic culture.

To commemorate the occasion, students were able to create brightly colored skulls, earrings, and tiaras.

“[Day of the Dead is] to show that love and respect for those that passed away and to remember them,” said Rivera-Hokanson. “This is our main idea behind this celebration. It’s just a moment of happiness. It’s not like a moment that we are going to be crying.”

BSU’s Day of the Dead event continues through tomorrow.

Zy’Riah Simmons contributed to this story.