DENVER — Día de los Muertos is a time when families remember and celebrate their loved ones who have passed.
The Latino Cultural Arts Center in Denver is holding workshops to help people celebrate while teaching them about the holiday. The workshops focus on altar-making, complete with how-to's on making calaveritas, or sugar skulls.
The group acknowledged that though these are celebrations of life, they can sometimes be challenging times.
"A lot of people might walk into this like, 'Oh it’s fun and crafty,' but sometimes they have emotions that come through," said Cindy Loya, a local artist and facilitator for LCAC Ofrendas workshops.
That's why the organization has therapists on hand to help participants work through emotions as they make handcrafted items to help them remember loved ones.
Loya said she understands why this is important--this year more than most.
"It's been a hard year because I lost my father this year, and I like the intentionality of Día de los Muertos," Loya said. "I love there’s the time that you let everything else go and you focus on the people that you love and that you miss."
Día de los Muertos is traditionally celebrated in Mexico on Nov. 1 and 2.
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