Personal Family Ofrenda The Xavierite
Halfway into November, Día de los Muertos has come and gone. Like every year, millions of Mexicans join together to celebrate and put up ofrendas for their deceased family members.
In recent years, though, Mexicans have not been the only ones to celebrate Día de los Muertos. People with no connection to Mexican culture have also begun setting up ofrendas.
Día de los Muertos has become a more popular holiday amongst non-Mexicans and corporations. Stores like Target and Walmart sell “ofrenda kits” and Día de los Muertos “costumes.”
Disney even hosts Día de los Muertos events at their parks and has their more popular characters dress up in traditional Mexican attire.
It feels like a fun celebration for all to enjoy, but not to me. I am infuriated and hate that people outside of the Mexican community are celebrating Día de los Muertos.
Seeing people who aren’t Mexican set up ofrendas makes me upset for a number of reasons.
The number one reason is that Día de los Muertos is a holiday that originated from Indigenous Mesoamerican rituals, so the holiday itself is rooted deep in Mexican culture.
The ignorant people setting up ofrendas fail to recognize this and assume it is just a cute little altar. None of them take the time to understand or even truly acknowledge what the holiday means.
They just see Mexican people posting their ofrendas and think it’s something they also want to do.
Another reason why it upsets me is that these people only started doing it for their pets.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with honoring and remembering your pets on your ofrenda. In fact, there’s even an entire day dedicated to remembering your deceased pets before Día de los Muertos.
The issue I have with it is that that’s not all Día de los Muertos is about. Again, they fail to recognize the cultural significance and only do it because they think it’s cute.
When it comes to what really bothers me about this entire situation, it’s how entitled everyone is to celebrating.
They feel like they should be able to celebrate because they also want to honor their loved ones, but it has to be a Mexican ofrenda or else it’s somehow not the same.
I’ve seen multiple videos of non-Mexicans on TikTok asking if they can participate in Día de los Muertos because they just admire it so much.
Of course there’s always one person who replies and says something along the lines of “Yes of course! It’s for everyone to celebrate and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!”
This is completely wrong and ignorant, and frustrates me to my core. One comment does not speak for the entire Mexican community.
Considering the political climate we’re in, I don’t feel comfortable sharing cultural holidays with those who aren’t Mexican, especially when it’s a holiday that has already been milked dry for profit by multiple companies and is the only thing Mexicans are reduced to in the media.
I particularly don’t feel comfortable sharing culture with people who feel so entitled to it just because they like it. Not everything is meant to be shared, and that’s something they can’t seem to understand.
I’m so tired of the “culture is meant to be shared” argument because it simply is just entitlement. No one has to share anything with you, and that’s okay.
Some cultural practices are meant to stay closed because they are so personal and deep rooted. For years, Mexicans and other cultures have had their traditions and food become Americanized trends.
It is so exhausting seeing my culture be bullied and stereotyped in the media and in real life, only for it to become glamorized in a couple of years and the newest invention of a non-Mexican influencer on TikTok.
I like that Día de los Muertos is an exclusive thing because it makes it feel more special. I enjoy having something close and personal that only a few can understand.
I wish that more people could see that a holiday like this, while it is fun to observe, is more than just bright colors and ofrendas.
It is an important and special time to us, where we can celebrate the lives of those who have passed instead of wallowing in our sadness. We see the beauty in death and how it doesn’t just mean the end of life, and that is an essential part of its cultural significance.
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