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

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

“We can come together as a community and say, ‘Yes, these are our commonalities.’ This is how we come together and are a community. And so we have things in common. So it’s really important. By 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 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 celebrants leave gifts and meals for those they have lost to take with them into the afterlife.

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

Click Here for more information on Duluth All Souls Night.