The Aztecs celebrated their dead.

They believed in an afterlife where the spirits of their ancestors would return as hummingbirds and butterflies.

And as the great migration of monarch butterflies returns to the warmth of Mexico every autumn, so the Mexican people from all regions honor the return of the spirits with the celebration of Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Rather than a morbid occasion, it is a fiercely festive one for Mexicans.

That festivity of spirit will be on display at the Day of the Dead Art Show starting Oct. 28 at the Bayview Cash Store’s Front Room. Celebrating these ancient Aztec traditions, artists of all caliber and stripes were invited to submit pieces that call back the rich customs that the Mexican people have embraced whole-heartedly for centuries.

The art show will benefit Sui Generis, the “one of a kind” youth program started on Whidbey Island by renowned local artist Keke Cribbs. The program seeks to give students technical job skills in the arts by having them apprentice with professional artists.

For the Day of the Dead Art Show, Sui Generis sponsored a mask making workshop at The Hub in Langley. Students learned the art of papier maché while creating masks with a Day of the Dead theme.

Students from an Oak Harbor high school pottery class and students from South Whidbey High’s advanced Spanish classes also submitted work with the holiday in mind, though there will be non-student work in the show as well.

The Day of the Dead traditions evolved much like the customs of Halloween, influenced by the combination of native Aztec beliefs and the Roman Catholic holy days of All Saints Day, Nov.1 and All Souls Day, Nov.2.

In Mexico, the mixture of pre-Hispanic beliefs and Christian devotion resulted in unique traditions which vary, depending on which part of the country one lives.

Many people build altars, ‘ofrendas’ and make offerings dedicated to the deceased.

These altars contain four main elements of nature – earth, wind, water and fire.

Earth is represented by a crop, or food.

Mexicans believe that the spirits of their departed family and friends are fed by the aroma of food.

Bakery windows in Mexico are decorated with skeletons and verses are dedicated to the dead.

People make a bread called Pan de Muerto which is offered to the deceased at the altars. The Pan de Muerto is made into a loaf and extra dough is fashioned into decorations resembling bones. It is glazed and decorated with brightly colored sugar.

Wind is represented by a moving object at the altar.

Water sits in a container so that the spirit may quench its thirst after the long journey to the altar.

Fire is offered through the lit candles that often adorn these altars in large numbers. Each candle burns for one soul and an extra candle is lit for the forgotten soul.

A common symbol of the holiday is the skull, which natives call “calavera” and are often represented in masks or sugar skulls, a common food offering.

Sugar skulls are a traditional folk art from central and southern Mexico.

The skulls are made of a sugar mixture that has been pressed into molds and then dried. The dried sugar skulls are decorated with beautifully colored icing or other items such as colored foil, feathers and sequins.

Mounds of colorful sugar skulls are sold by vendors in the open air markets during the week preceding the Day of the Dead. These traditional skulls are becoming increasingly difficult to find, however, as they must compete with the influx of modern Halloween treats.

In modern Mexico many people wear masks, often made of wood, called “calacas” and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are placed on altars alongside of the sugar skulls.

Bright colors, skull and bone imagery and unique interpretations of how to honor the dead should have everyone in the mood for Halloween after seeing the Day of the Dead Art Show in the Front Room.

The show runs Oct. 28 through Nov. 2 with a reception for the artists and community 5 – 9 p.m. Sat., Oct. 28.

All proceeds benefit the Sui Generis youth program. Call 321-4145 for information.

Patricia Duff can be reached at 221-5300 or at www.pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com.