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Día de los Muertos 5K to honor those lost to COVID-19

Trophies for the winners of the 2019 Dia de los Muertos 5K. Photo courtesy of Photography by Ric, Rick Martinez

Día de los Muertos 5K to honor those lost to COVID-19

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Most countries around the world set aside a day for commemorating the lives of those who are no longer with us. One such holiday, Día de los Muertos, occurs every November to acknowledge the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Though it is called Day of the Dead, it does not celebrate death.

“Quite the opposite,” said Celia Rosales, race director for the annual Día de los Muertos 5k. “It is a rejoicing and a celebration of the lives of family and friends who have died.”

The Día de los Muertos 5K Run/Walk, which began Nov. 2, 2013, has operated as a collaborative effort by San Marcos residents as a fundraiser for two 501C3 nonprofit groups: The Johnnie T. Rosales Memorial organization, which provides annual scholarships to graduating San Marcos High School seniors, and the Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos, a local cultural arts center.

Due to COVID-19, however, event organizers opted to cancel the race in order to allow participants hold a community-wide vigil for those who have lost their lives to the coronavirus.

“This year COVID-19 has caused the death of many in our community,” Rosales said. “Unfortunately, we were not able to have our live event as usual, however our group decided this year we would honor and remember collectively all of those lost due to the 2020 pandemic.”

The coordinating organizations encourage everyone to hold their own Día de los Muertos celebrations. The Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos traditionally provides Día de los Muertos activities. This year, there will be a community altar on the fence facing LBJ drive, where community members may place a photo, flowers, or mementos of their loved ones, to share in the celebration and remembrance of their lives.

“These community events perhaps reflect how important community support is after the loss of a loved one,” Rosales said. “Our Día de los Muertos 5k Run/Walk is not only about competition, but also depicts the first steps walking forward after a loss, and how we must keep moving forward in our life journey.”

The site will also have a butterfly tree on which participants can write the names of their deceased loved ones.

“The butterfly tree commemorates the annual Monarch butterfly migration that occurs every Fall,” Rosales said. “It has been said that the Aztec Indians believed the Monarch butterflies represented the souls of their deceased loved ones who were returning home to visit.”

Event organizers want to emphasize the universality of loss, and how our connection to community can help everyone with the process of grieving.

“It does not matter our gender, race, level of education or where we live,” Rosales said. “Everyone at some point in their life will experience the loss of a loved one. This is a universal shared experience that will happen to us all at some point.”

The first Día de los Muertos 5K event was held at River Ridge Parkway and has continued to be an annual Fall event enjoyed by runners and walkers alike. In 2016, the event was moved to a new location at Hernandez Elementary School, where it has continued until 2020.

Every year an honoree is selected to honor and remember at the Día de los Muertos event posthumously. Those selected have all contributed in some way to our local community via service, local government, or education. Past Día de los Muertos 5K honorees includeRuben Ruiz Sr., Petra “Pat” Nicola, Augustin Lucio, Jr., Tomas Cuevas, Rick Hernandez, Ofelia Vasquez-Philo and Irene Mendez.

Rosales said that though Día de los Muertos occurs around the same time of year as Halloween, they are distinctly different holidays. “Some people may confuse the two holidays and avoid Día de los Muertos thinking of it as a scary holiday which inspires fear,” she said. “Not! This day is colorful, joyful whose origin can be traced back as far as the Aztecs and does not celebrate death. As in the other worldwide cultural celebrations, it is a rejoicing and a celebration of the lives of family and friends.”

Similar worldwide holidays include Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrated in Scotland and Ireland; The Hungry Ghost Festival in China, a solemn celebration for Buddhists and Taoists to honor one’s ancestors; Chuseok, a Korean festival similar to American Thanksgiving, which brings families together to celebrate and respect their ancestors; and Gaijatra, a light-hearted celebration of death celebrated in the Hindu tradition to help people accept death as a reality and ease the passing of those who have died.

Rosales said, “Expected or unexpected, a release or a tragedy, our world changes forever when our loved one is gone. The Día de los Muertos 5K Run/ Walk and Kids Fun Run is an annual community celebration of life event to remember, to rejoice, to walk forward.”

For more information about Día de los Muertos traditions and festivities, contact Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos at 512-878-0640.

San Marcos Record

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