On Saturday evening, community members came together this evening to remember those who have passed away, at the 17th Duluth All Souls Night celebration.

Duluth All Souls Night (DASN), created by Mary Plaster, is hosted through the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council and Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment. The event respects and honors loved ones who have departed – along with bringing light to making the world a better place.

“We can come together to community and say, ‘Yes, these are our commonalities. These are the way we come together, and we are a community.’ And this is how we have common things. So, it’s really important. Showing each other that this is our culture, this is how we celebrate it, this is how we respect our ancestors. And we see, “Oh, that’s different.” But this also is the same,” said DASN volunteer Louisa Posada-Eckstine.

All Souls’ Night is believed to be when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. Many who celebrate leave gifts and meals for those they have lost to bring with them into the afterlife.

“This is when we feast them. We give them spirits like their favorite drink, apple cider, tequila, hot cocoa, whatever they wanted. What was their favorite food? Let’s put it out for them and make a spirit dish. That’s how we celebrate them. We make our friends. We put their pictures up. And again, all cultures have one form or another where they celebrate their ancestors,” said Posada-Eckstine.

Click here for more information on Duluth All Souls Night.