McALLEN — Among the shades of purple and orange, the candlelight and sweet smell of pan de muertos, 17-year-old Frida Perez stood and bellowed the words of “Amor Eterno.” Attendees joined Perez in the chorus, their voices crescendoing throughout the airport.
Underneath colorful sheets of papel picado was an ofrenda decorated with Dia De Los Muertos iconography including calaveritas (sugar skulls), crosses, alebrijes, fruits and cempasúchil flowers.
“For me it is important to be here celebrating this festive holiday, Dia De Los Muertos, mainly because it is a celebration that represents my home, Mexico,” Perez said. “For me it is beautiful to remember our loved ones through beautiful music that is a representative way to enjoy Dia De Los Muertos.”
The McAllen International Airport hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday to unveil the city’s annual Dia De Los Muertos ofrenda exhibit, which will be on display at the airport until Nov. 7. Here, musicians, dancers and actors honored the Mexican tradition by telling its history through art.
The idea to exhibit the ofrenda at the airport, which began four years ago, has become a heartwarming display of celebrating the culture, explained District 5 McAllen City Commissioner Seby Haddad.
“The airport celebrates the travel to and from Mexico, so we like building this ofrenda to celebrate really the relationship we have with Mexico and its traditions,” Haddad said, adding that the ofrenda is not necessarily dedicated to a specific person but rather it is dedicated to the community’s heritage.
The ceremony included performances that detailed the history and customs of this holiday.
Dancers dressed in colorful Aztec costumes wore rattles and multicolored feathers as they danced to rhythmic music honoring the beginnings of Dia De Los Muertos.
An actor portraying La Catrina, a significant icon of Dia De Los Muertos, wore a dress covered in flowers and spoke of the history of the holiday, explaining the significance of each item placed on the ofrenda.
“When people come here they have a very nice surprise seeing that the airport is part of the traditions that are part of this community,” Haddad said. “For people who aren’t from here and they travel through our airport they are able to see what’s important to our community.”
For Winona Oden, a native of Alabama who was visiting McAllen for the first time, seeing the ofrenda and the lavish costumes and customs was a memorable experience.
“All the colorful things, the lady that was face-painted and all dressed up (La Catrina), it was just a nice bit of the culture, I’m familiar with it from learning about it in school but never experienced anything like that, so that was just really neat to get to see that,” Oden said.
