How to Celebrate Día de los Muertos and Southern California Events

The end of October is near and the celebration and decorations we’ve all been waiting for have arrived: Día de los Muertos.

I’m not a Halloween girl, so I love how Los Angeles and Latino cultures light up their spaces with offerings to honor their dead during the holidays. It’s also an opportunity to buy things that aren’t always available year-round, like pan de muerto, marigolds and sugar skulls.

I recently came across TikToks of non-Latino people asking if they could organize an ofrenda for their loved ones (especially their animal babies). The answer, as many commentators have suggested, is that the Day of the Dead is universal and is a celebration that anyone could participate in – with respect. In fact, indigenous tradition is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, just to put things in a global perspective.

Here are some resources as you participate in Día de los Muertos celebrations and celebrations.

The basics

It’s definitely not Mexican Halloween, and that’s what irritates many observers when they hear people talk about it.

Ofelia Esparza and her daughter Rosanna Esparza Ahrens (and dog Maxie) pose in front of the ofrenda they built for Día De Los Muertos

Día de los Muertos comes from a mix of indigenous Mexican practices dating back 3,500 years and Catholic traditions linked to All Souls’ Day. The celebration connects the living and the dead through a portal (an altar). Many families pass down certain customs for their celebration to each generation.

That’s how master altar artist Ofelia Esparza learned to create some of the most iconic displays in Los Angeles and the world – through her mother.

“I realized the importance of this aspect, but it also carries our identity as a culture,” Esparza told me in 2022. “I want to honor these people, not how they died, but how they were loved, how their parents, their family loved them.”

Each region of Mexico and other parts of the world have different ways of celebrating, whether it’s a festival, a parade, a celebration in a cemetery or a house party. There are also elaborate traditional flower crowns, catrina-style face paint and costumes that elevate the ambiance of the celebration.

When do the celebrations start?

November 1st and 2nd are the best known days for the dead to return to Earth and connect with their living families. But there are practices that include earlier days in October for those who died in a certain way or based on age.

October 27th was designated as the day when pets will enter the living portal again. It was originally dedicated to the Xoloitzcuintli, a dog breed popular in Mexico, but has been adjusted to include all pets.

Building the altar

The altar pays tribute to your deceased loved ones and requires a few simple but thoughtful things to welcome them. The altar can be as elaborate or as simple as you want.

Traditionally, there are three levels to the altar:

• The top level features photos of loved ones, combined with images of saints.
• The middle layer is filled with your favorite foods – sugar skulls, pan de muerto, mole, wine or liquor, and more.
• On the lower level you place practical items such as water, towels (or clothes) and candles so that they can be guided to your offering.

A collection of the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks is a staple in ofrendas.

(

Veronica Lechuga

/

for LAist

)

You can’t forget copal or cempasúchil. The flowers are said to attract the spirits of the deceased, helping celebrants connect with their ancestors.

Marigolds are native to Mexico, and the sweet, musky aroma and bright color help spirits find their way. Andi Xoch, Latinx with Plants store, has included them in her store over the years for this purpose.

Andi Xoch at her Latinx store with plants in Boyle Heights

(

Brian De Los Santos

/

LAista

)

“It’s important to give them that extra guidance, knowing that even if they’ve passed… we can still feel them in some way through their spirit or their memory,” Xoch told me last year. “Maintaining these traditions is a way to celebrate us – a unique culture, but also to remind people that although we are long gone, we are not forgotten.”

On the practical side, Xoch noted, they last a long time without much maintenance, which makes them a good choice for altars. They are also great fly repellents and can keep mosquitoes away, especially while you are displaying food.

Events

The beautiful thing about living in Southern California is that you can immerse yourself in different cultures. There are spaces that allow registrations for their own public altars, like the LA Zoo or the LA Times digital ofrenda.

Here are more events celebrating Día de los Muertos: