Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Day of the Dead celebrated in Culmore


The Culmore community celebrated the Day of the Dead Nov. 1
with an altar, lights, food, and decorations with a skeleton motif. The Day of the Dead is when Mexicans and Latin Americans
remember, pray for, and connect with the spirit of loved ones who have died.

The celebration, in the parking lot on Glen Carlyn Drive in Bailey’s
Crossroads, incorporated Day of the Dead traditions from
several Latin American countries. There were special round loaves of bread like
those used  in Mexico, a tablecloth from Guatemala, and decorations
and bread in human shapes from Bolivia. It was organized by the Culmore Neighbors Association with support
from the Legal Aid Justice Center.
Rufina Juarez, originally from Guatemela, said people back
home decorate Day of the Dead altars with candles, paper flowers, and
butterflies. Because butterflies migrate, she says, they symbolize the spirit
world and souls coming back from the dead.
Ramona Villalta, who brought a cooler full of tamales to the
celebration, said her Dead of the Dead traditions from Honduras include the
cross symbol, as well as altars with paper flowers. 

3 responses to “Day of the Dead celebrated in Culmore

  1. Sorry to have missed this. FYI – there is a Dia de Los Muertos display at George Mason Library in Annandale (in one of the lobby display cases.

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