Downtown Riverside honors the holiday of Dia de los Muertos translated to Day of the Dead to celebrate loved ones with Mesoamerican rituals and Spanish rich culture.
The city of Riverside held its annual Dia de los Muertos Festival in White Park from Nov. 1 to Nov. 2. The event also held a special area dedicated to ofrendas also known as offerings in English. Which is a traditional Mexican altar built to honor and welcome deceased loved ones during the annual holiday. The holiday is celebrated each year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.
Caroline Munoz, a participant in the display of ofrendas for the Riverside Dia de los Muertos Festival shared the meaning behind her ofrenda and why she began to celebrate this tradition.
“I recently became involved in the tradition. My granddaughter really influenced me because she wanted to learn more about our heritage, so this is how we started, with doing an ofrenda,” she said.
Munoz also explained the generations that were displayed on her ofrenda and how important it truly is to remember her ancestors.
“My ofrenda is to honor my family. I have three generations on one side, then five generations on the other and here living with me I have four generations of family. Being able to honor my family and bring out the pictures every year is to remember this tradition,” Munoz said.
The festival featured many different forms of traditional art such as live music, ballet, folklorico, lucha libre and vendors along Market Avenue.
Priscilla Robles, a vendor at the event commented on the beauty of the tradition of Dia de los Muertos and how this event brought the community together to celebrate such a rich culture.
“In just this event there’s hundreds of people that come and celebrate. It’s been so great, people love it. There’s dancing, there’s music, there’s so much going on and I feel like there should be more events like this so people can come together and celebrate,” Robles said.
Though the tradition of Dia de los Muertos may seem eerie to outsiders due to the death-related imagery with the use of skulls and skeletons— that’s not what the festival represents, it’s a festive and joyful celebration of a life that was lived, not a mourning period. But a view of death as something natural and a part of life.
Kimberlee Powell Co-Founder of the animal rescue center, Foster Army Animal Rescue shared information about her ofrenda and the meaning behind the overall celebration of the tradition.
“A lot of people believe this event is very morbid and scary but it’s really nice to educate other people about what it actually means,” she said.
Every detail in the Dia de los Muertos holiday represents something significant and special in the remembrance of loved ones, whether they be people they lost in the past or a family pet that they once cherished so deeply. Many even build ofrendas for past pets.
“Pets are one thing that every age, every ethnicity, every gender, everyone, is passionate about animals. So it is really one thing that brings humanity together to be a part of events like this,” Powell said.
In a time where many have expressed concerns for the unpredictability of the Latino community— the culture must be reminded of the resilience and the beautiful traditions that have been passed down from the generations before them. Ofrendas represent honor and respect for their ancestors. By celebrating Dia de los Muertos the community showed that they will continue to flourish regardless of the circumstances because of the practice of cultural traditions that display resilience.
