Finding Love and Life in Death


During this time of the year, Halloween always steals the show. Horror movies dominate the entertainment industry and consumers go all out with decorations, candies, gory costumes, and Halloween parties. But one tradition that goes more unperceived is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican holiday celebrated from October 31st  to November 2nd every year, and acknowledged around the world in many cultures.

I love Día de los Muertos and have a deep respect for the tradition. In my eyes, it is a love story about those that are no longer with us but live on in our hearts. It is a celebration of their lives and all the happy memories they have left us with. The idea being that our deceased would not be thrilled with the mourning, the tears, the gloom, the sadness that comes along with death but would much rather prefer a celebration of who they were and everything and everyone they loved.

The celebration is full of life indeed, with vibrant colors, papel picado (tissue paper), beautiful altars, flowers, incense, candles, calaveras, memorabilia, sugar skulls, pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and so on. Picnics are held and music is played, death is not regarded as taboo, but rather viewed in a very positive manner and celebrated in a very lively way.

What a beautiful way to approach and embrace the inevitable. It is refreshing considering how our society views death.  I have to admit that the thought of a loved one dying has kept me up at night, wide-eyed in fear and concern. It doesn’t help that we live in a country where death is taboo and never really talked about, yet ironically, death is thrown at us on a daily basis. And the exposure to it is hardly calming or reassuring, with brutal murders, mass shootings, suicides, and terrorist attacks being so prevalent. The entertainment industry also does a very good job at instilling a fear of death by portraying zombies and gory crime thrillers.

The attitude about death in this society is one of fear, denial and morbidity. With death being portrayed negatively in news outlets and literally everywhere…in video games, in movies, in TV, in books, even in commercials, it’s difficult to keep my kids from being exposed to it.

That is why traditions like Día de los Muertos are inspiring and an opportunity to teach our kids a different way to view the matter. No one can escape death, it transcends cultures, so why not celebrate it instead as the natural part of life it is, and distance ourselves from the way death is portrayed.


As a strategic planner focused on the U.S. Hispanic market, this is a holiday I encourage all advertisers and content creators to consider during this time next year, because after all, in our Latino culture, there isn’t a day filled with more love, respect and life than El Día de los Muertos.

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