SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City-based children's grief support program joined the Sugar House community Saturday to celebrate Day of the Dead this season.
The Sharing Place — a group committed to helping children, teens and their parents heal from loved ones' deaths and other devastating events — joined with the Sugar House Chamber of Commerce to encourage local businesses to create their own Day of the Dead altars to display in their stores. These altars are decorated to honor family members and friends who have passed away in a celebratory way.
"Memorabilia, candles, foods and things associated with the relative's hobbies are placed on the altar to create a visual atmosphere about the dead person, so it is easier to talk about the deceased," Sharing Place board member Diego Pisciotta said. "The best way to positively deal with grief is to let it out and talk about it."
"Initially many people think it's weird that a children's grief center promotes Day of the Dead, but when they come to understand the festivities, they begin to see why it is fun," committee chairwoman Sally Brown said.
"Utah people think the holiday is creepy because of the skeletons and symbols and celebrating death, so it is not widely understood, but Day of the Dead celebrates people who die," Brown said. "It's not a sad day, it's not a day of mourning, but it is a day to celebrate them and think about all the things that they were."
On Saturday, Sharing Place representatives, group beneficiaries and local community members gathered for traditional Day of the Dead activities. Proceeds went to the Sharing Place.
Red Iguana catered the event and a live salsa band played. Volunteers ran photo, face painting, card reading and skull painting booths.
Ken Cruff, a beneficiary of Sharing Place, said as interesting as the skull painting sounds, his two young daughters always think about their mother when they see the skulls they decorated a couple of years ago. It gets them to talk about their mother who passed away from cancer, and that means it is helping them to realize that death is a part of life, Cruff said.
Representatives also auctioned off fundraiser baskets. Donors filled the baskets with items that reminded them of their deceased loved ones, which made the event really personal, participant Gabriela Sessions said.
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