![]() ![]() You can build an altar in your home to a relative, a friend, a person who was meaningful to you - even if you didn’t know them personally, such as an author or celebrity - or build ones that are remembrances to groups of people. Celebrating Día de los Muertos “is a healthy way of connecting with your ancestors, honoring them and placing yourself in the lineage.” People “always say, ‘What’s with Mexicans and death?’ Mexicans confront death,” Alcaraz said. You don’t get to share the same realm as them year-round, but you get to share dinner and drinks for a night. On Día de Muertos, souls that have moved on to their next season have a chance to cross back and be with the people who loved them. Our lives have seasons and cycles, like everything else. Death doesn’t have to necessarily be sad or scary. ![]() The holiday comes from a cultural point of view that sees death not as a finality but as moving on to the next stage. In 2017, “Coco” helped introduce a new generation to its tenets and symbolism. It’s enjoyed a resurgence in Southern California since the 1970s, when the artist group Self Help Graphics & Art organized a public celebration in Los Angeles. Today, Día de Muertos is celebrated by Mexican Catholics and many others in Mexico and the United States. Where: Hollywood Forever cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A. What: Altars, art, food, contests and more. 1 and 2 - which, not coincidentally, are All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in Catholicism. And they did see death as sort of like the start of a new life or a new cycle,” said Angie Jimenez, the altar program director for the Día de los Muertos celebration at Hollywood Forever, which takes place Saturday.Ĭatholicism has a knack for absorbing holidays into its liturgical calendar - it’s how we ended up with Saturnalia trees at Christmas and rabbits and eggs at Easter - and something like that happened in Mexico with this holiday. “The Aztecs did honor the dead with celebrations and rituals during what was the harvest season. The holiday originated in Aztec culture before Spanish colonizers and the Roman Catholic Church arrived. But for many Southern Californians, it’s the season of Día de Muertos. The dominant one in America is Halloween. It’s not a coincidence that many cultures around the world have celebrations and ceremonies relating to death at this time of year. In spring, food is planted and animals are born in summer they grow, in fall comes the harvest, and in winter things are dead. The days are shorter, the air crisper, the leaves changing. Otherwise, pick and choose from the long list of events going on in the city and enjoy.Our seasons follow a cycle. Of the stuff I saw, the cemetery and Coyoacan celebration were the things I would suggest not missing. I even went to a Day of the Dead themed lucha wrestling event on 11/1. You will find other events all over the city at the Zocalo (nice display), Chapultepec (mediocre evening events), and Coyoacan (excellent neighborhood celebration). The parade was decent, but not a must see by any means. I didn't see any tourists when I visited that morning. I visited the large Dolores cemetery the morning of 11/2 and it was full of locals bringing in flowers, setting up in the cemetery, and celebrating. Sure, there are elements of Halloween that have bled into the celebration as kids dress up in all kinds of costumes for three straight days and ask for candy, but there are plenty of more traditional events as well. After all, when thousands of tourists pour into Mixquic, is that really a genuine event anymore? The alternate is blending into the crowd in CDMX. I was a little concerned about CDMX being disconnected from the roots of the celebration, but was overall not disappointed. I visited the 2019 Day of the Dead in Mexico City. I would definitely watch the parade again and definitely recommend it. the Mexican people love their music and dancing! Stilt walkers, catrinas, costumes, skeletons, etc. Not as many floats but far more music and dance groups. The parade was excellent very different from say the Rose Parade. There was lots of police/security along the streets. ![]() The minute the rain stopped everyone ran back out to the edge of the street again. I just popped my umbrella up and waited it out. Many people ran back under the overhang at the Hilton. The start time was 1pm and by the time they got to our area it was about 2pm. We made a picnic of it sitting out on the edge of the street. My husband ordered cheeseburgers and fries from the Hilton hotel bar. There were already quite a lot of people out lining the streets. We arrived around noon to stake out our spot to watch the parade. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |