PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A shared sense of remembrance filled the air at Providence’s North Burial Ground on Saturday, Nov. 2, as members of the Providence and Brown communities gathered for this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration, honoring departed loved ones in a heartfelt blend of grief, joy and togetherness.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated in Mexican and some other Latin American communities welcoming the spirits of ancestors, family and friends back each year on Nov. 1 and 2.
Providence’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration, led by North Burial Ground in partnership with Brown University’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology and Department of Anthropology, began in 2021. The free public event celebrates Rhode Island’s vibrant Hispanic and Latinx communities, creating new opportunities to showcase their unique histories, cultures and customs, said city cemetery director Annalisa Heppner.
"I started as the city cemetery director just after the first COVID surge, when many families couldn’t mourn traditionally due to gathering restrictions,” Heppner said. “To help meet that need, I wanted to bring a memorialization program to North Burial Ground. My mom’s family is from Chihuahua, Mexico, and we grew up celebrating a version of Día de los Muertos rooted in our Rarámuri heritage. I love sharing my culture, and I think Día de los Muertos is one of the best parts of Mexican culture. Even without the ritual aspects, taking the time to care for and talk about the people we’ve loved who have joined the ancestors is such a big part of living with grief and loss.”
The afternoon celebration at the city’s largest cemetery welcomed Providence-area residents with meaningful, family-friendly activities. At the heart of it all stood a community ofrenda, or altar, adorned with photos, letters, cards, candles and personal tokens contributed by attendees to honor their loved ones. Throughout the festivities, families crafted paper marigolds, colored and decorated traditional calaveras (Mexican sugar skulls) and explored books and stories explaining the holiday’s significance. A face painting station added to the fun with colorful sugar skull designs for kids and adults.