The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden hosted a Día de los Muertos celebration Saturday, honoring life and remembering loved ones through colorful displays, cultural activities, and community engagement.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Hispanic holiday celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2 to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away.

“The connection to nature is important to all cultures and traditions,” said Michelle Israel, Lewis Ginter's Director of Exhibitions. “Día de los Muertos is a holiday that directly connects to nature and the life cycles.”

The day celebrates traditions from Indigenous cultures and is observed in various ways across Latin American countries, said volunteer Isabel Shely.

“Having a Day of the Dead celebration, I noticed it’s not only Hispanic people who are looking for things to do that relate to their culture, but a lot of people that are not Hispanic are coming because they are interested, they want to learn about the culture and about the holiday,” Israel added. 

Shely led a bilingual storytelling event with her son and nephew. She created an ofrenda, or altar, so the kids could play a game of ‘eye spy’ and learn about the different elements of an ofrenda.

“Ofrendas help attract people from the afterlife and help them find their home easily," she said.

Elements of an ofrenda include candles to light the path, water to quench the spirits’ thirst after a long journey, fruit and pan de muertos as food offerings, marigolds, photos of the deceased, papel picado, calacas and sugar skulls.

Shely explained that there will always be bright colors, and each element has an important role.

"When someone dies, it is sad, and it's okay to be sad, but this is a part of life," she said. "We talk about it with our family, pass the memories and stories along, and celebrate it."

Stations were set up around the garden, allowing attendees to create elements of the altar and celebrate the day. There were stations to make flowers and papel picado, as well as face painting and caricature drawings. 

Artist Vanessa Hoggins painted sugar-skulls on people's faces. 

“I think it's good to bring family and friends together and just to have a sense of community,” said Sylvia Godsey. “It's nice to see people bringing their kids out and everybody is really having a good time.” 

Emberlyn Kobus, a fourth-year Spanish student, developed a deeper connection with Hispanic culture through her years of studying Spanish in school. She wanted to attend the Día de los Muertos event to celebrate the culture. 

“I think that's good to bring awareness to the importance of Hispanic culture,” Julie Harris told The Richmonder. “I grew up here, but my grandparents are Mexican and the rest of my family members celebrate this holiday — and since we live here I just thought it would be interesting to see how other people celebrate in Richmond.”

David Amoroso, a D.C. artist who paints Hispanic culture in a pop art style, did a live demonstration creating a large sized papel picado. 

Papel picado is a Mexican folk art involving cutting and perforating paper to reveal their design.

The community altar allowed attendees to light a candle and write the name of a loved one in their honor, said volunteer Cheryl Keeney. 

“I feel like when you're at the altar you want to have a silent moment where you're thinking about someone and honoring them. Yes, there is a party and celebration, but that moment is just for you,” Israel said.

Altars always include the person’s favorite food, Israel explained.

The Goya company donated a can of food for every candle lit at the altar. 

Two of the values of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden are hospitality and inspiration, said Chief Marketing Officer Mary Parch.  

“We hope that events like this welcome people and inspire them to either engage in their traditions or learn about the traditions of others,” Parch said. 

The next celebration at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is Gardenfest, a six-week holiday celebration from Nov. 18 to Jan. 5, 2025.