Día De Los Muertos Protest Petitioned After Knott's Scary Farm Features 'Culturally Insensitive' Day Of The Dead Scare Zone

A resident of Hesperia, CA has created a Change.org petition to protest Knott's Scary Farm for one of their features: a Day of the Dead Scare Zone inspired by Día de los Muertos. According to Armando Cruz Velasco, the creator of the petition, the Scare Zone disrespects a "sacred holiday."

"This sacred holiday—although trivialized in media and mainstream—is important to the Latino community," explains Velasco on the petition. "From October 31st to November 2nd, we pay our respects to late loved ones and honor their lives. Would Knott's get away with taking another sacred cultural holiday and creating a Scare Zone with it? I think not—so why are we letting them appropriate Día De Los Muertos year after year after year? I hope you join me in asking Knott's Scary Farm to discontinue this sacred holiday as a theme."

Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday, which translates to "Day of the Dead," that is celebrated throughout Mexico to remember those who have died. While it is often confused with Halloween, the day is actually different from the U.S. holiday all together as Halloween creates fear of death and those who are dead while the Mexican holiday celebrates those who have passed on. The holiday is one of the largest holidays in Mexico and in turn, has been growing in popularity amongst the Hispanic population in the United States.

In addition to disrespecting the holiday, and confusing it with Halloween, Velasco explains that the Scare Zone is "culturally insensitive."

"For the last few years, Knott's Scary Farm has had a Day of the Dead Scare Zone," writes Velasco on the Change.org petition. "This Scare Zone is extremely inappropriate and culturally insensitive; it belittles a cultural and religious tradition to nothing more than decor. It is not something to take and make into a "Scare Zone," which by the way is little more than an outdoor club with electronic dance music and "scareactors" appropriating stereotypical Día De Los Muertos attire while dancing to EDM."

Currently, the petition has 295 supporters and if the comments section is any indicator, Velasco is not the only one who is frustrated with Knott's Scary Farm.

"Día de Los Muertos is not Halloween it is a time and place to honor our beloveds who have passed on," writes Maria Cruz of East Palo Alto, Calif. "This is not part of Halloween and has nothing to do with it."

Alicia G of El Paso, Tex. adds: "Día de los Muertos is an important celebration. It has deep religious and historical roots in Mexican culture, and a huge significance about beliefs of the afterlife, and using it for massive entertainment not only cheapens it but turns that significance into mockery."

According to the Knott's Scary Farm website, they features four scare zones -- Carnevil, Gypsy Camp, Ghost Town and Fiesta De Los Muertos -- and they openly admit that their scare zone is inspired by the holiday. "Fiesta De Los Muertos fuses dance music, colorful costumes, and larger than life stilt walkers in a dance party scare zone with even more characters than last year," shares Knott's Scary Farm on their website. "It’s the ultimate late night celebration of Dia de los Muertos."