In the past, on the evening of All Saints Day here in the Pueblo of Isleta, children would go to a relative’s house to pray for their deceased relatives. In return, the relatives in their homes would give the children baked goods and fruit they had prepared for All Souls Day. This tradition is called “Seremo.” We brought this tradition back and introduced it to the children in our Religious Education Program. We asked a number of families to participate and open their homes to the children. Our request was met with great delight.

Although it shares similarities with Halloween in the United States, we found that the Seremo festival appears to have originated during the colonial era and has been celebrated for more than 300 years in Valle de Allende in Chihuahua, Mexico. It is a festival that remembers the most recently deceased, and gives the children the opportunity to pray and sing for sweets, fruit and even money. It is believed to have been started by Spaniards of Basque origin living in the region.

The children knock on the door. When the residents open the door, the children say “Seremo, seremo,” and are invited into the house. They kneel and pray in front of a table set with images of saints and photos of deceased family members. Once the children have prayed, the hosts give them candies, cookies and small pies. Seremo comes from the word “Rezaremos” which means “we will pray.”