Dia De Los Muertos

All my friends, family and hundreds of students both present and past know that I’m crazy about Dia de los Muertos, and all that goes with it. In years past, when not actually in Mexico for this event, I have frequently taken small groups of students and sometimes friends and also my grandson to whatever La Raza Galeria Posada had going for Day of the Dead, including a great workshop that they sponsored a few years back. It’s the annual cultural event that I recommend most, now that they’ve dropped the Festival de la Familia at Cal Expo.
For a great description of this year’s event, read the other 2 reviews, one of which is very detailed. If you do decide to experience this wonderful celebration in Mexico, Patzcuaro area in Michoacan and Oaxaca are my favorites and I’d get them on my bucket list right away if you haven’t done this. There’s really nothing else quite like it. Oakland Museum has a good event also that we’ve been to twice for Day of the Dead. And Murphys now has an annual celebration that’s a real standout, and unique in the foothills. Que lo pasan muy bien, Amigos.

Wow, this is probably my favorite Sacramento event & 2^nd year attending. It is presented by La Raza Galeria Posada.
2014 was the 5^th year.
There are altars set up to honor people’s deceased family members & friends. There are vendors selling all kinds of amazing items. But it’s important to go during the day to see everything, it’s hard to see all that’s for sale at night.
Gotta go Saturday night. Love all of the dances. Such as: dance with the pineapples, dance with the bean pots (they turn the bean pots over & dance on the top!)
Dance with the nets to catch the fish, dance with the flower arches, dance of the old men, dance with the baskets of pan de Muerto… they handed it out after. These dances & all others are not to be missed on Sat nite!
Sunday, my favorite thing was the Catrin y Catrina contest. There were fantastic costumes & makeup. I think 2014 was the first year for this. Not to be missed!
I dressed up as a catrin on Saturday night, didn’t do the next day’s competition. You can go in costume, it’s fun! Gotta remember to not scratch your face & ruin your makeup lol.
There was a group sponsored booth where kids could make & decorate sugar skulls for FREE! They also gave the kids a handout that explained the history of the sugar skulls. So this is a family friendly event.
This is a free event! Not to be missed. Thank you SO MUCH to La Raza Galeria Posada for having this event!

Beautiful, Spiritual & Enchanting Celebration For The Day Of The Dead!
SITREP
Walking amongst the stalls & booths of many celebrants, artists and well-​wishers for the Day of the Dead celebration in Midtown Sacramento during this early Fall day was absolutely magical!
THE SETUP
In Midtown Sacramento in the Farmer’s Market lot between J & K Streets and 20^th & 21^st Streets, there were dozens of gorgeously decked out booths, filled with families, celebrating the lives of deceased family members with their pictures, personal mementos, divine Sainted/​Scented candles, and lots of incense.
TRADITIONS
Dia de los Muertos — or «The Day of the Dead» — is a sentimental Mexican holiday that is practiced and observed throughout Mexico and in other Latin cultures around the world. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.
[In 2008 the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO]
ROMAN CATHOLICISM
Looking at your histories, before Spanish colonization in the 16^th century, The Day of the Dead used to take place at the beginning of summer. However, the Church moved the celebrations to October 31, November 1 and November 2 to coincide with the Roman Catholic triduum festival of Allhallowtide — similar to our All Hallows’ Eve we celebrated in our Saxon, Celtic and other traditions.
This holiday also includes constructing private altars called OFRENDAS which honor the deceased by using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the people we are memorializing. It is also customary for us to leave possessions of the deceased at the graves.
MARKETING!
But this also presents an opportunity to SELL festive wares in honor of the dead:
* Porcelain Skulls all decked out
* Fine Jewelry with emblems of the dead engraved thereupon
* Comfy Festive Clothing (my co-​worker Nena, recently retired, was having fun hocking her new crafty head bands at this very fair!)
* Fun wooden cut-​out figures of men taking siestas and singing frogs
;
* And Mexican Wrestling Masks. [“Mexican Wrestling Masks”?, you ask? Yes. Them too, though I’m not… quite… sure… of…the connection (but what do I know)]
Which brings us also to…
THE ARTISTS!
There were several local celebrity artists out, creating art during the invent itself, as well as enhancing beautiful ceremonial memorials for the dead.
Among this group was my friend, artist Ruben Reveles with his exhibit that was near the J Street side of the plaza-​lot. Ruben chose flowers — marigolds to be precise — to be part of his medium to convey his reverence. In fact, marigolds are a sacred flower to revering the dead, including both Latin and East Indian Cultures.
WEIRD MOMENT OF THE DAY
I was trying to figure out the relationship to this Festival with a giant can of (what looked like) Coke Cola, but actually said in cursive (which could easily confuse the very casual reader just glancing over) DIABETES! Now THAT was a hoot!
I was just lucky that both Bambi and Fabianna were up to «Vanna White“ing the monumental blow-​up can for me! ;)
THE LOWDOWN
A fun cultural outing on a gorgeous afternoon in Midtown Sacramento!