Riverside residents celebrate Dia de los Muertos, remembering loved ones

Custom altars to celebrate the lives of loved ones are created for Day of the Dead celebrations. Pictured are Jerry Arellano, his wife Christina and daughter Illianna.

Adorned with brightly colored yellow, white and orange paper flowers, a flat-painted, black classic 1939 Dodge car glistening with candle flames sat as the base of an altar celebrating the life of one family’s generations.

Aged black-and-white photographs of grandparents, aunts and uncles, surrounded by a handful of their favored treats, were strategically placed around the car in hopes of luring back the spirits of those pictured for the celebration of El Dia de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, in downtown Riverside Monday night.    

“It’s a glimpse into my family,” said Riverside resident Christina Mendez. “There’s a lot of love here and this is the perfect way of showing them we’re still a family even if they’re gone.”    

Dia de los Muertos is a spiritual, social and communal ritual which recognizes that among life, there is one certainty — death — and rather than it being feared, it serves as a festive time to observe, honor and celebrate loved ones who have passed.

Traditional celebrations for Dia de los Muertos include visiting

cemeteries or burial grounds, creating altars, cooking, singing, dancing and prayer.

While the ritual has been merged with Catholic theology, it still preserves the principles and cultures of the indigenous people of Meso-America.

The Aztecs displayed skulls to symbolize death and rebirth; and upholding to tradition, sugar skulls and wooden skeletons now embody the ancient rituals.

The altars, lavishly embellished with an assortment of earthly delights and a row of marigolds placed as scent trail for the spirits to follow the right path back to their home, are adorned with vividly colored flowers, intricately cut pieces of tissue paper known as “papel picado,” a picture of the loved one and other articles including food and drinks that were favored by the departed.

An altar made by Yvette Garcia celebrates the life of her grandmother.

While most basic altars include a picture of those who have passed, they also include three needs for the returning: water to quench the thirst and for purification, salt to season the food left and bread to represent the food needed for survival.

Although these ceremonies are made for public displays at cemeteries, altars that are placed in homes are not meant for public purposes, but rather for personal and private rituals.

For three days, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, specific rites are observed faithfully to continue the true traditional indigenous practices dating back thousands of years.

Traditions include the celebration of the Angelitos, “the little angels,” to remember children. Then there is Noche de Duelo, Night of Mourning, which is held as a candlelight procession to the cemetery, and the celebration of Dia de los Muertos where the spirits of the dead return. Once the cemetery is reached, family members engage in decorating the gravesite with flowers, setting out and enjoying a picnic.

Christina Mendez honors her aunt Patricia Marin in an altar for the Day of the Dead celebration. (Photo by Yazmin Alvarez)

Families remember the departed by telling stories about them and gathering around the sites, which usually feature the favorite dishes of the loved ones, sugary confections such as calaveras or “skulls” and a special egg-batter bread called pan de muerto,”bread of the dead.”

As a way to depict this cultural tradition, the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, in partnership with Division 9 Gallery and Ballet Folklorico of Riverside, held its annual Dia de los Muertos celebration, bringing

family, friends and the community together.

A community altar was set up on the steps of the museum, where event-goers were able to honor their loved ones by writing a message and lighting a candle in their name.

“It’s an opportunity for everyone to participate in the celebration,” said Teresa Woodard, education curator at the museum.

Woodard said residents from throughout Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles Counties migrate to the annual event because of the sense of community it is known to bring.

“So many want to honor the lives of loved ones,” she said. “We do this every year in order to highlight the celebration that does just that. Today is when we embrace those who have left us and honor their lives.” 

Yazmin Alvarez can be reached at yazmin.alvarez@swrnn.com.

Tags: Angelitos, Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, Noche de Duelo, pan de muerto, Riverside Metropolitan Museum, SWRNN, Yazmin Alvarez

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