The Day of the Dead (November 2nd) is a Mexican holiday honoring the deceased, usually with visits to the cemeteries where family and loved ones are interred. The closest Day of the Dead celebration to Columbus is held in Detroit, however; a fact that puzzled me.

“Most of the celebrations, like the ones in Mexico, are held in cemeteries, and here there’s a problem with that,” said Alex Flores, editor-in-chief of local Spanish newspaper La Voz Hispana. “Because most of the people who die here, their families send them back to their home country. So the people here have nowhere to go, because their loved ones are not here,” he explained.

Flores said that the holiday is celebrated somewhat regionally in Mexico, and most Mexican immigrants in Columbus are not from those areas. He also noted that Dia de los Muertes, like Mexican Independence Day and other similar holidays, gets less play when it doesn't happen to occur on a weekend.

“If they happen on weekdays, then people will tend to just focus on their job, and not on the celebration,” he said, adding that much of the holiday’s observance would occur in the family’s home, barring a local gravesite.

“They do an altar, with a picture of the deceased,” Flores said. “And then, if he liked Coke, they would put a Coke there, or if he liked cake, they would put a cake there.”

Flores said there are other traditional components, such as cempasúchitl (yellow marigolds), candy skulls, and Pan de los Muertes (Bread of the Dead), that are used to decorate the altar, all of which are available at any local Mexican grocery store.

And you say, “what up, Columbus? No parades? No eskeletos? What a crock of mierda!”

To which I reply, “Por Vida.”

Since its inception four years ago, Junctionview’s Por Vida provides locals with a miniature Day of Dead festival for remembering their own loved ones in a similar atmosphere, both solemn and party-style. Local artists showcase works that express their own take on the Mexican holiday’s reverence and humor, and attendees are encouraged to wear their own Day of the Dead costumes. Columbus installation artist Brian Reaume will create a themed “sanctuary room” and collaborative murals allow both artists and attendees to leave their own honorariums, sans graveyard. This year, spectacularly spooky local artist Dan Gerdeman will build a devotion altar in remembrance of late Columbus icon Andy “Andyman” Davis, which will also serve as the DJ booth. A multitude of local artists, including Kat Marie Moya and Adam Brouillette, will be featured, along with performances by Yolkfellow and DJ Captain Lonesome. A portion of proceeds will go to fund local hospice care.

Por Vida IV
@ Junctionview Studios
889 Williams Ave.
www.porvida614.com

October 29
Tickets: $10 (18+)
9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

October 30
Tickets: $5 (all ages, kids 12 and under FREE)
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
*Kid’s Art Show