Can white people celebrate Dia de los Muertos?

This time of year, street vendors line their stands with marigolds. The flowers will be a multi-level decoration ofrendas— altars full of food, calaveras (or sugar skulls), and photos of deceased loved ones. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition rooted in Mesoamerican culture and indigenous beliefs that honors the day when the souls of the dead return to their families to celebrate. According to the Smithsonian Latino Center, this tradition goes back a long time over 3000 years to rituals honoring the dead in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The holiday is an opportunity to lift spirits and remember.

Mexican culture is on full display as people take to social media to share their highlights of grandparents, pets, and even deceased celebrities. TikTok video from a Houston teacher showing the minirendas created by her students this year have gained over 1.1 million views.

Although Dia de los Muertos is clearly Mexican in origin, similar traditions of honoring the dead exist in other cultures. In the Philippines, families are watching Araw o Patay (Day of the Dead) or Undas falls on November 1 and 2, coinciding with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Filipino families gather in cemeteries to clean and decorate graves, light candles and share meals with their departed loved ones – practices that evoke the spirit of connection and remembrance typical of Mexican celebrations.

As the holiday becomes more mainstream, cultural appropriation has become a central point of debate. This raises a fundamental question: Can white people celebrate Dia de los Muertos?

October 21st Twitch streamer Ellie Kwho shared details of her pregnancy loss on social media, published a video crying, with text overlay: “I’ve seen so many people showing their Ofrendas, and I want to make one for my children, but I don’t know if it’s even okay or how.”

The Norwegian-born TikToker explained her connection to the tradition. “We don’t have the same way of reconnecting with deceased ancestors, but rather we remember them on All Hallows’ Eve,” she said. “I think many people who have lost a child may feel that remembering them is not enough. We do it every day.”

Her journey began with an unlikely source: Disney’s “Coco.” “The reason I was intrigued by Ofrendas was as simple as watching a Disney movie for the first time. I felt a sense of longing, as if this was what I was missing,” she said. “I have since been taught that Coco is not necessarily a completely accurate representation of what Dia de los Muertos is; However, it really gave me peace.”

Despite initial hesitation, she decided to seek advice on the Internet. “I was frustrated, sad and scared, but I was met with love from so many people,” she said. “I have learned a lot and I see that others who are wondering the same thing have found peace in receiving your blessing.”

Not all responses were supportive. “Some people were skeptical and said ‘do your research and find something in my own culture,'” she said. “But I still haven’t found anything that resonates more than ofrenda.”

The comments section garnered mostly positive responses:

“Our culture is so rich and beautiful that we literally share it with everyone and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to celebrate it,” he added. @deadnova_ said in the video link offering guidance on what a grieving mother should consider.

TikToker Video by @darbyann7 thanking the Latino community for sharing their culture received a million views. On October 27, she posted video continuationrecorded as she held an ofrenda with snacks for her dog and jewelry belonging to her deceased grandmother.

While Mexican Americans have showered the app with encouragement and support for white people wanting to take part in the vacation, not all reactions have been positive.

“Historically, you Mayosapiens always steal parts of our cultures that you can benefit from, whether financially, emotionally, or whatever. Why can’t you just practice your own culture to honor your deceased loved ones? Why do you have to steal ours?” @the.harm.in.harmony said in the video published October 28.

The holiday has grown in popularity since the Disney film “Coco,” which depicts Dia de Los Muertos in a story about a young boy’s journey through Land of the Deadwas released in 2017. As per deadlinethe film grossed $800.5 million at the worldwide box office, bringing awareness of the holiday to a wider American audience.

“It started gaining popularity about 15 years ago, but it gained momentum thanks to the enormous popularity, in particular of Coco, which broke box office records around the world,” said Dr. Andrew Chesnut, professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author Consecrated to Death: Santa Muerte, the Holy Skeleton he said Refinery29 in 2019

This is not a new conversation. As Dia de los Muertos images such as sugar skulls and La Catrina have become more visible, non-Hispanic people participating have faced criticism. In 2016, actresses Hillary Duff and Ashley Tisdale were accused of cultural appropriation for wearing Dia de los Muertos-inspired sugar skull makeup on Halloween.

Is there a clear line between appropriation and appreciation?

Crystal Doradoowner Verde holistic wellness studio in Chicago says it has invited grieving white clients to take part in Dia de los Muertos, including one whose daughter lost a classmate to leukemia.

“I told her where she could find everything and taught her how to mourn a friend. “Give it to her,” Dorado said.

As the holiday continues to resonate across cultural boundaries, Mexican Americans largely welcome those who approach the tradition with true respect and a willingness to learn. The key is not whether someone can participate, but how they do it.

In her opinion, there is a line between appropriation and appreciation.

“People need to learn that if you want to love this culture, you have to love its people, and if you want to share the celebrations and experiences, you have to support its people,” Dorado said.

Just like the conversations about Black women hairstyles AND non-native people smeared with white sagethe difficult aspect of these debates is that there is usually no clear and distinct line drawn when participation goes too far.

“Cultural appropriation is not a black and white issue,” said Neal Lester, professor of English at Arizona State University and founder and director of Project Humanities he told the state press in 2017. “We cannot use a checklist to determine whether something is cultural appropriation or not. You have to decide for yourself whether what you’re doing is right.”

Financial gain is often tied to conversation. In 2019, Kim Kardahsian came under fire attempt to register the Kimono trademarkthe original name of her shapewear line, which was eventually changed to Skims after backlash. Japanese social media users viewed the name and trademark as disrespectful to the company traditional japanese costumesubmission A petition against it. Similarly, Disney tried to trademark “Dia de los Muertos” in 2013, many years before the release of the film we now know as Coco.

“Our spiritual traditions are for everyone, not for companies like Walt Disney to label and exploit,” wrote Grace Sesma, who wrote in on Change.org. “I am deeply offended and appalled that a family-oriented company like Walt Disney would seek to own the rights to something that is the rightful heritage of the people of Mexico.”

Dorado says mourning is a universal phenomenon and those who intend to honor the traditions and people who share them can learn from Mexican traditions about honoring the dead.

“I think that’s a gift that we have to give to the world about how we mourn,” Dorado said. “I know there are a lot of shocks in this, but I think if you respect this culture and love the people, why not share it with the world?”