A makeshift memorial on the 1400 block of East Fairhaven Avenue where three 13- year-old girls Andrea and twin sisters Lexandra and Lexi Perez were killed in a hit-and-run collision while trick-or-treating in Santa Ana on Halloween night. Photo: C. Yamanaka
On October 31, 2014, a terrible tragedy occurred. Three young girls age 13 were viciously struck by a car resulting in their deaths. This is an image of the street corner where the incident happened. It has been over a year that this has happened and on this years Halloween Day a Rosario was held for the young girls. A Rosario also known as a Rosary in english, is a prayer of peace taken place at the scene in which a person might of passed away.
The timing of these deaths was especially hard to deal with considering that it was just a day before Day of the Dead.This is a holiday originated in the Mexican culture that honors the dead. The year the incident occurred it was extremely devastating in our community as we all mourned the young girls death. It was hard not to celebrate the Day of the Day when that tragedy was only a day before. However, this year it was easier to honor the young girls since the incident wasn’t as fresh. Our community participated in remaking the vigil and participating in prayers.
It is always difficult loosing a loved one and in the Hispanic culture it is very interesting how they choose to remember and honor a loved one. It is amazing how the traditions and culture has continued for so long. When a loved one passes it is tradition to hold a Novena. A Novena a tradition that takes place after a death in a family. It is nine consecutive days of prayer and devotion to their lost one. This consists of repeating prayers in a meditational way. An hour or two a day of prayer is taken place. As families gather it is important that a vigil is set up in the remembrance of their loved one. The prayer is usually at someones house. Here is an example of how a shrine is set up for Novena. Beautiful lights and candles are set up, with many photos and flowers to create an amazing view.
The whole point of a Novena is to pray and honor their loved one who has passed. This mechanism is to never forget and always bless the soul of the person who has died. Pray is used to ease the soul of the person who has passed into the afterlife. Here is an example of one of the prayers used in a Novena this prayer translates to being the Hail Mary prayer.
EL AVE MARÍA (Hail Mary in Spanish)
Dios te salve María, llena eres de Gracia, El Señor es contigo, bendita Tú eres entre todas las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús.
Santa María Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros los pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén.
A Novena is traditionally a nine day process that takes place after the death of a person however, in some families this Novena is repeated every year after the death to continue to bless the soul of the person who has passed away. This usually goes on for a couple years after the death until the family and friends of the loved ones feel or are more accepting of the passing of a loved one. Religion is a very common way of remembering people, traditions and much more. Holidays are put in place to remember traditions about religion such as Christmas and Easter. These are two holidays put in place to recognize and honor people through religion.
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