Secular Day of the Dead

“Contrary to the name, the Day of the Dead event is actually a celebration of Life,” said Victoria de laTorre, one of several organizers of the Secular Day of the Dead event. She is also a member of The Humanist Fellowship of San Diego.

Margaret Downey, another Secular Day of the Dead organizer and president of the Freethought Society said, “Nontheist Hispanics view the Day of the Dead as a perfect way to remember the legacy of deceased loved onein a way that does not require prayer, church, or any religious dogma. To nontheists, our legacies are our afterlife."“More and more people are abandoning theirreligious upbringing, but still want to celebrate the beauty of their Hispanic culture,” de la Torre added. “This is why a Secular Day of the Dead was created.

Many nontheist Hispanics want to continue traditions and cultural rituals, but in a secular way.” Traditionally, the Day of the Dead celebration takes place on October 31, November 1, and November 2 in connection with the triduum of Hallowtide, which include All Hallows’ Eve, Hallowmas, and All Souls’ DayThe importance of a Day of the Dead holiday arises from the secular confrontation of death.

As atheists, we know that we only have this one life to live. Although we do not believe in an afterlife, it is importance to stress the fact that when we die, all that will be left is our legacy. In that sense, I suppose that we do in fact 'live on”. We live on through the relationships that we form, the books that we write, and the legacies we leave behind for others to pick up. Day of the Dead provides a platform for a secular celebration of life. We can come together as a community and reverse the stigma that incorrectly regards non theists as unwilling view life with the importance it does in fact carry. We are thus not abandoning this tradition, but lifting it up to a greater status. This traditional holiday for Latinos carries an emotional connection to our loved ones. For centuries, it has gone hand-in-hand with the supernatural, but it doesn’t have to.

Location will be announced before June 1, 2019.