Dia De Los Muertos Festival (Vallejo)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos) is a two day holiday that reunites the living and dead. Families create ofrendas to honor the dead.

Dia De Los Muertos—the Day of the Dead is considered the most representative tradition of Mexican culture. The celebration takes place in two days: on November 1 is dedicated to the soul of children and on November 2 to that of adults. Although marked throughout Latin America, Dia de los Muertos is most strongly associated with Mexico, where the tradition originated. Dia De Los Muertos honors the dead and encourages families to come together to remember those who they have lost. It is a time for prayer, celebrations, festivals, and spiritual journeys. The custom combines indigenous Aztec rituals with Catholicism, forced to the region by Spanish conquistadores. (Dia De Los Muertos is celebrated on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, minor holidays in the Catholic calendar.)

Death as an encounter with the unknown has had different manifestations in different cultures, whether through literature or music, or through customs and sacred rites. The fear and taboo surrounding death in today’s Western civilizations is understandable, but Mexican culture has been able to give it a very particular comprehensive, solemn and festive point of view, which allows Mexicans to accept death. Death is a process, a journey to heaven. Calaveras are a reminder to enjoy life and embrace mortality. The calavera is a way of acknowledging that life is sacred and that death is a rite of passage. In Mexico, the inevitable should not be feared or avoided but faced with smiles and celebrations. Mexico’s historic Aztec culture and its old beliefs still prevail until today.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.