Every Day of the Dead my family remembers and honors our loved ones that have passed away, a tradition that has been celebrated for many years. My mom as a kid would always visit her grandma’s grave in the graveyard, Jardines de San Juan with my grandpa and her siblings; they would come early in the morning to clean her grave and stay alongside her before it turned dark. To this day it’s something we continue to do, visiting the grave of our loved ones in the same place but now added on by an Ofrenda. We started doing the altar after the passing of my grandfather, to commemorate his life as well as a way to show how much we missed him. Since then, every year a new altar is made by my cousin, uncle, and different family members that come around the house. It’s made with different variations of colors and decor, the majority being hand-made and decorated by my cousin. When finished we add some of the things that they loved such as their favorite food and hobbies, it is placed in the living room of my grandma’s house, one of the first things you see when you enter, especially at night when it’s lit up by candles. Although I can’t be there in person it has always meant a lot to me to commemorate the people that I love that have sadly passed away, and cherish the memories I have with them, and celebrate their life.
 

– Yarethzy Calderon M.

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant