Contemporary public celebrations of the Day of the Dead in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas

Abstract

The Day of the Dead, a Mexican folk-catholic holiday annually observed on November second, is devoted to remembering and honoring deceased family members. Since the 1970s the holiday has become increasingly popular within the United States, and across the country many organizations currently sponsor commemorations in public venues. This thesis describes and analyzes public celebrations of the Day of the Dead observed between 1995 and 1998 in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas. Sponsors of public Day of the Dead celebrations in these three Texas cities have rediscovered and reinterpreted the holiday. While they are inspired by Mexican cultural traditions, promoters of the holiday in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio bring new meanings and symbols to bear on the holiday. They invite the public to observe or participate in their commemorations, putting this custom, and in essence their culture, on display. Organizations and businesses such as art galleries, folk art stores, museums, and cultural centers promote activities including musical performances, dances, parades, and poetry readings, and they frequently exhibit artworks and altars dedicated to the dead. Some of the individuals participating in the public Day of the Dead exhibits are using the holiday as a springboard to explore larger issues by creating altars or retablos which address contemporary social problems such as the AIDS epidemic, domestic and other violence, discrimination, and environmental degradation. Public enactments of the Day of the Dead in the central Texas cities considered in this study go beyond the traditional purpose of remembering the dead by additionally serving as a means of recognizing the living. Celebrants connect with their cultural heritage by participating in a tradition with roots reaching far back into Mexican history. Simultaneously, by observing the Day of the Dead in public locations open to a general audience, celebrants proclaim pride in their ethnicity by calling attention to their presence in their communities.