Alejandra Diaz Roman Explores the Unique and Powerful Cultural Celebration of Día de los Muertos

Alejandra Diaz Roman was raised with the celebration of El Dia de los Muertos, dressing up as a Catrina (fancy skeleton), and participating in the traditions of this important cultural event. It was an occasion for honouring ancestors and respecting their memories and monuments, but also for storytelling and gathering family and friends together. 

As part of the Canadian Celebrations series (Saunders Book Company/Beech Street Books), the author has written the non-fiction title Día de los Muertos to share her experiences and cultural knowledge with young readers, and to explain why the Day of the Dead is a unique and powerful celebration for the people who participate in it.

Make your sugar skull offerings, light your candles, and enjoy this informative True Story Nonfiction Interview with the author about this new title, right here on Open Book!

Open Book:

Tell us about your new book and how it came to be. What made you passionate about the subject matter you're exploring?

Alejandra Diaz Roman:

I am so lucky to have parents that were born in two of the states in Mexico where “El Dia de los Muertos” is one of the most important celebrations. 

I grew up dressing up as a “Catrina” (fancy skeleton), decorating our house to wait for the arrival of the souls of our loved relatives and friends who, on November 1st and 2nd were allowed to come to be with us, can you imagine? We were so lucky to have them come to visit us; we were told a lot of stories about their lives and through these, we got to know them very well.

I also grew up going to clean and decorate their graves and I got to spend the night at the cemetery, having what would be a really strange version of a “pic-nic”; dancing, laughing, eating and learning that all these things were to celebrate and honour their lives.

I am so proud of my Mexican heritage and culture and I am so lucky and proud to have had the opportunity to write this book and being able to share my traditions with young readers in Canada.

OB:

Is there a question that is central to your book? And if so, is it the same question you were thinking about when you started writing or did it change during the writing process?

ADR:

A lot of people around the world believe that the celebration of the Day of the Dead and Halloween are the same; in my book I wanted for young readers to learn the real significance of the "Day of the Dead” celebration. I also wanted to help these young readers to establish connections and reflect how they remember and honour their loved ones who passed away and to give them some ideas about how they can also celebrate their lives. 

OB:

What does the term creative nonfiction mean to you?

ADR:

I think that writing this book, gave me the opportunity to be very creative in how I wanted to explain how a real event occurs in my country of origin and how it keeps occurring in my family.

I think creative nonfiction gives us the freedom to write in a non-complicated way that young readers will find easier to get engaged with.

OB:

Do you remember the first moment you began to consider writing this book? Was there an inciting incident that kicked off the process for you?

ADR:

It was very intimidating! I had just self-published my first book Life Values for You! / Valores de Vida para Ti! (FriesenPres) and here I was, now being asked to WRITE a book for an editorial company!! This was a huge step forward for me and I thought it would be a great challenge. I have worked with many young students which have given me the opportunity to learn how to speak to them, using simple words, short sentences and a lot of expression.

On the other hand, I really wanted to share my culture and the traditions of the celebration of “El Dia de los Muertos” and finally, the team at Saunders Book Co. is amazing and so easy to work with. All that gave me the confidence I needed as an author to write this book.

OB:

Did you write this book in the order it appears for readers? If not, how did it come together during the writing process?

ADR:

Yes, I wrote it as it appears for readers, I tried to explain a big concept first, in this case, it was: What is the Day of the Dead? and after, I moved to explain as many of the elements of this celebration as I could and how people in Canada celebrates it.

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Alejandra Diaz Roman is a visual artist. She has taught and shared her passion for art with students at all levels throughout Manitoba. She was born in Mexico City; her family originates from Michoacan and Guerrero, where “El Dia de los Muertos” is the most important celebration of the year. This exposure gave her a great appreciation for Mexican traditions, culture, and art. She published Life Values for You in 2021, her first children’s book, bilingual in both Spanish and English.