Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, has just been celebrated by numerous families here in Rocklin a few days ago. Celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2, this Mexican holiday is rich in culture, family and happiness.

It is believed that the gates of heaven are opened up on midnight of Oct. 31 so that the spirits of deceased children may reunite with their family for a whole day on Nov. 1. Then, the spirits of adults are supposed to come back on Nov. 2 and enjoy all of the festivities prepared in their honor.

To celebrate, families create altars for their deceased loved ones and cook their favorite foods. Later, the family eats the food that they prepared so it seems as if their dead relatives are there with them.

A popular symbol of Day of the Dead is the sugar skull. Sugar figure making actually originated in Europe, but as Spanish Catholic beliefs mixed with the native’s Mesoamerican beliefs, sugar skulls started to become a popular addition to the traditional altars.

In Mexico, depending on the region, they celebrate with parades where people paint their faces to imitate skulls. For example, in Oaxaca, people flood to the capital of the state where they can partake in the parades and celebrations (some of which occur in local cemeteries) that move across the city.

Though we won’t find any huge celebration like that in Rocklin, the culture is still just as rich, and the connection is just as rewarding. A quaint gathering of the family is really all one needs to enjoy the event.

“My family made an altar and we would invite some family over,” said Alexis Soto. “We would sit down and eat the food we made, and we’d all laugh and talk about our relatives from when they were alive.”

Día de Los Muertos is a happy time for families as it reunites them with their loved ones every year, and allows them to reconnect with their ancestry.

“Though I haven’t lost someone close to me, my parents have,” Alexis said. “It’s good to see them so happy since they know our family members are going to the afterlife.”

Though many here in Rocklin went through the first couple days of November recovering from candy crashes and Halloween parties, there were some families that were up preparing – preparing to reconnect with their family, both the living and those that have passed.