The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, tradition is celebrated on Sunday and Monday, Nov. 1 and 2, to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away. The holiday, with indigenous Mexican roots to honor one’s ancestors, is more than 3,000 years old – steeped in the understanding that death is not to be feared but is a natural part of life. Respect is given to those we hold dear by not forgetting them but by continuing to speak of them. The most traditional of ceremonies is held over several days that welcomes their spiritual return by creating an ofrenda [an altar] that reflects their life. The smell of burning copal incense fills the air and a pathway of bright orange cempazúchil (marigold flowers) leads them back. Relatives sit with the altar, sharing their stories of the departed with reverence, love and laughter.
The Catholic Church appropriated the tradition during the Spanish colonization in the 16th century to encourage Mexico’s indigenous population to join the church and blended the Mexican cultural practice to coincide with its religious calendar on All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.
Over recent years, Catholic cemeteries throughout Los Angeles now hold large Día de los Muertos community events.
The San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills will hold a large Día de los Muertos event on November 7.
Many public events are held leading up to the holiday that have evolved from this deep culture.
This year, San Fernando High School (SFHS) will be holding its annual festival Monday evening, Nov. 2.
The free public event held at the high school began in 2022, described as a “reminder of the importance of our cultural heritage and a testament to the bonds that unite our community.” SFHS Music teacher Sergio “Checo” Alonso, Ph.D., who has led a unique music program at the school and is a master teacher of the city of San Fernando’s Mariachi Master Apprentice Program, has coordinated the night’s musical entertainment that includes several mariachi ensembles by students from SFHS, San Fernando Middle School, Porter Middle School, Haddon Elementary and Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando. There will also be bands playing other genres of music, including ska and metal.
The festival will include folklorico dancers, Day of the Dead-themed artwork and installations by students, traditional food and a community altar where all are welcome to bring photos of loved ones who have passed to add to the altar.
Jacqueline Torres, SFHS ceramics teacher and chair of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Arts Department, spearheaded the event. At first, just a handful of teachers were involved, but now more than 20 faculty members are pitching in, and other schools are reaching out to be part of the SFHS event. It’s now an event that is growing – the school community reaches out to the surrounding community each year, inviting them to attend.
For a school in the San Fernando Valley to host a Día de los Muertos festival is fairly unique. Torres could think of only a handful of schools that host similar events, including Sun Valley Magnet and East Valley High in North Hollywood, but said she is glad to see other schools starting their own celebrations.
“Other places get to put on their events, like Pacoima and [the City of] San Fernando, but we get to build our own thing where the students are the stars,” Torres said. “Yes, the adults are there, but … we’re there to guide the kids and help them shine because they’re the performers and the artists. They’re doing everything.”
Torres has her own memories to contribute as she was a student at SFHS. She said she knew little about the tradition then, but what she did know intrigued her; as her knowledge increased, and she later became a teacher, Torres taught what she knew to her students. Her passion for the tradition has been passed on to her students, who continue to help out and participate year after year, even after they graduate. Torres said that one of her former students helped to organize a Día de los Muertos event at LA Mission College.
“My initial idea was that they would take away a learning and cultural experience from this … but I feel like in a lot of ways I got more than what I bargained for, in a sense,” Torres said. “They’re now taking this [experience] and want to give back and recreate it, learn about it and share it with other people, and I think that’s awesome.”
A City of San Fernando Tradition
While members of SFHS are preparing for their event, the City of San Fernando honored the holiday on Oct. 24. It’s become a tradition for many of the same local families to gather at the city’s Recreation Park each year. They arrive early to set up their ofrendas – some built literally from the ground up while others are constructed on tables or creatively placed in the open trunks of classic cars. While each altar is decorated with the bright orange marigolds, photos of their loved ones, along with the foods and items they enjoyed, the ofrendas are as unique as the people who are remembered by this indigenous practice.
One altar set up by Glenoaks Academy, formerly Maclay Middle School, was created in honor of some of the many people who have been killed by immigration agents or died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. This altar included the photos of Keith Porter Jr., Alex Pretti, Renée Good, Victor Manuel Diaz and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. It is a painful visual testimony to what is occurring in communities across the country.
Many of the people who set up altars at San Fernando Recreation Park return each year, and for them, as they greet each other, it feels like a reunion. There are, however, a handful of newcomers. “Mari” is one of them. Her altar included photos of her family members – her mom, grandparents and uncle – which were placed alongside tamales, pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) and sugar skulls.
Mari used to celebrate Day of the Dead when she lived in Canoga Park, participating in the West Side of the Valley’s large community event. After relocating to the Northeast Valley, she is continuing the tradition in the City of San Fernando.
“Since I moved to this community, I decided to do it here to be more involved with the community,” Mari said. “It’s been so welcoming, it being my first time [here].”
Areli Chairez, who has participated in the annual festival before, said her experience with Day of the Dead began in ninth grade when she was a student at Arleta High School. At first, it was just a school project, but Chairez and her family became interested in the custom. So much so that, 15 years later, they still build an altar for their relatives and various family friends.
“When we first started, it was just one picture of my cousin, but since then, we’ve slowly been adding [more and more],” Chairez said. “I think it’s important because my parents migrated over here from Mexico, so they lost some of their roots, so it’s nice to bring that tradition back here.”
The SFHS festival will take place on Monday, Nov. 2, at 4:30 p.m. The school is located at 11133 O’Melveny St.
For more information about the event at San Fernando Mission Cemetery, go to: https://www.catholiccm.org/copy-of-dia-de-los-muertos-altar-registration-san-fernando-mission-cemetery.
