New Brunswick, N.J. (October 8th, 2019) – Rutgers scholar Regina Marchi is available to discuss the Day of the Dead, or el Dia de los Muertos, and how the Mexican holiday has transformed due to growing popularity and its spread to the United States.
“Historically, the rituals have been observed in Mexico and other parts of Latin America on November 1 and 2, coinciding with the Catholic liturgical dates of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day,” Marchi said. “But today, Chicano artists and activists, Latino immigration, consumer culture, mass media such as Disney's film Coco, and other facets of our globalizing world have spread and transformed these remembrance rituals into a fall-long celebration observed throughout the United States.”
“What’s interesting is that the holiday was not widely celebrated in the U.S. prior to 1972, even among most Mexican-Americans. Today it is celebrated in schools and museums across the US and Day of the Dead-themed items can be seen at major retailers where Halloween costumes are sold, with varied consequences for the celebration and the Latino community."
Marchi, an associate professor of journalism and media studies in the Rutgers School of Communication and Information, is the author of Day of the Dead in the USA: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Practice.
For interviews, contact Megan Schumann at 848-445-1907 or [email protected].
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