On the morning after Halloween, that giddy, sugar saturated holiday celebrating children, we turned to Dia de Los Muertos, Mexico’s version of “Day of the Dead.” It has traditionally been a day to remember the dearly departed but with happy memories, offerings of food, drinks, pictures, flowers.
In Los Angeles, celebrations have become community events, featuring parades, community gatherings, and the creation of ofrendas, altars for remembrance.
In Gloria Molina Grand Park, Dia De Los Muertos has welcomed the community for a week of celebrations, spanning the week before Halloween to the first few days of November. On the green spine of LA’s Civic Center, artists and community organizations created 19 ofrendas with colorful flowers, decorations, pictures and messages.
History is taught by ofrendas that honor the immigrants who had established the Latino presence in Southern California:
This year, many ofrendas carried pointedly political messages:
There was the remembrance of local hero Fernando Valenzuela. And of course, there was an altar to dearly departed pets by the German Shepard Rescue of Orange County.
Gloria Molina Grand Park was officially named in 2023 by unanimous vote of the LA Board of Supervisors in recognition of Molina’s pioneering work as the first Latina to serve in the State Assembly, the LA City Council and the LA County Board of Supervisors. She was also responsible for the transformation of Grand Park from a concrete walkway to a green welcoming park space that can accommodate 75,000 people.
Some of the ofrendas: Heart and Compassion, Los Angeles County Departments of Health Services and Public Health; The Eternal Journey, Jessica Monares; Dedicated to Our Immigrant Grandparents, Antonio Rael; Waiting, Rock Rose Gallery; We Are United, LADWP-SHPE & ASCE YMF.