By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805
You can almost feel it. That special time of year when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest.
Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead is upon us with a number of community groups and organizations planning a variety of events during the coming days.
Some events have already begun, such as the 24th annual Free Family Day — Día de los Muertos program held on Oct. 26 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Don’t fret if you missed that celebration. Plenty of new events have been added to our calendar.
So for presenters or family members, time to gather your marigolds and copal incense to attract the dearly departed.
Time to buy your candles (pink for joy; purple for pain, suffering, grief and mourning; white for purity and renewal).
Time to prepare your ofrenda / altar with papel picado to signify the wind; salt to represent the spice of life; water to quench the thirst of your departed loved ones.
Time to gather photos, personal items and favorite food and drink of your loved ones so they can be placed on your altar.
While Día de los Muertos traditionally takes placed during the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day on Nov. 1, a day to also remember deceased children; and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, a time to remember the adults — celebrations in some parts of México will actually begin today on Oct. 27 when bread and water are placed outside homes for those spirits with no survivors. Food and drink are then placed outside homes on Oct. 28 for those who died by accident or other violent misadventures.
So prepare to enjoy the holiday, but also be prepared to lecture folks (children, adults and retailers that Día de los Muerto is not México’s version of Halloween: (“Book of Life” — good; colorful Day of the Dead-style cards and decorations saying “Happy Halloween” — bad!!!).
Wishing you all a safe and joyous Día de los Muertos.
Camarillo
CSU Channel Islands invites the campus and community to join in the Sixth Annual Day of the Dead: Celebration of Life, Monday, Oct. 27, at the John Spoor Broome Library.
Presented by CI Intercultural Services, the Broome Library and students of the Art program, the free public event features speakers, dancers, music, face painting, crafts, art exhibitions, and the opportunity to participate in creating a giant sand mural altar on the Library Plaza.
The event includes:
Sand Mural Altar Installation – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Join celebrated Chicano artist Fabian Debora as he creates and installs a 7-ton, 20-by-10-foot Mixteco-styled sand mural altar on the Broome Library Plaza. Guests may place their own ofrendas (offerings) on the mural throughout the day to celebrate the lives of loved ones.
Multiple altar installations created by CI students in the Art and Spanish programs, as well as altars from student clubs and The Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, will also be on display in the Broome Library Gallery and Alcove through Nov. 9.
Celebration of Life – Speakers, Crafts, Face Painting, and Performances – 5 p.m.
The Celebration of Life begins with distinguished community speakers including the Berenice Díaz Ceballos, Consul de Mexico, Arcenio J. Lopez, executive director of Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, and CI campus administrators and faculty. Craft activities will be provided by the School of Education/Credential office and face painting by CI students. The evening will close with peformances by CI’s mariachi band and Ballet Folklórico. A Mixtec translator will be at the program.
El Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) is a Mexican celebration, rooted in ancient ritual worship and the Spanish Christian holiday of “All Soul’s Day.” Mexican families celebrate the lives of deceased family and friends by creating home altars and placing offerings of everyday life such as pan de muertos (sweet bread baked in shapes of skulls and figures), candles, yellow marigolds known as Cempazuchitl/Zempasuchil, and photos of the departed souls on the altar.
Limited parking is available. Contact Kirsten Moss, director of Multi-Access Programs, at 805-437-3156 or kirsten.moss@csuci.edu or click here for more information.
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One of the biggest celebrations in Ventura County will be held at held at Conejo Mountain Funeral Home, Memorial Park and Crematory in Camarillo.
The Día de Los Muertos Celebration takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 and will feature music, food, ofrendas, arts and crafts, a vintage car show, a muerto art exhibit, face painting and free prizes.
Call 805-890-2193 or visit https://www.facebook.com/DiaDeLosMuertosVentura for more information.
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Día de los Harleys, a fundraiser El Centrito Family Learning Centers in Oxnard, will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1326 Del Norte Road, Camarillo.
The event features a lowrider show (bike and cars), altars, artists, vendors, a taco truck and contests.
Oxnard
Teatro de las América presents “La Patas de Hilo” from Oct. 31 through Nov. 15 at the Oxnard Black Box Theater, 4000 S. Rose Ave., Oxnard.
The play focuses on a flirtatious, mischievous, vampire-like mistress who is eager to lure as many unsuspecting Villistas and Zapatistas as she can into her deadly arms during the turbulent times of the Mexican Revolution and Cristeros Rebellion, Teatro organizers reported.
Click here (English) or here (Spanish) for information on times and ticket prices.
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The Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard will present Día de los Muertos as part of its Free Family Day from 11 a.m.to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 424 S. C St., Oxnard.
The event includes festive face painting, an art workshop, lotería necklaces, retablos, decorating sugar skulls, ofrendas, traditional sweets and the showing of the film “Calling Home the Dead.”
The event is free, with no reservations required. Visit http://www.carnegieam.org/free-family-day1.html for more information.
Also, CAM Cornerstones board member Joseph Rund and exhibiting artist Julia Pinkham have created two Ofrendas/ Altars at the Carnegie, on view through Nov. 2, museum officials reported.
Art interwoven into this ofrenda include works by: Beatrice Wood, Chuy Rangel, Stasia Spade, Carmen Abelleira, Claudio Galvan, Alfredo Anal, Yolanda Gonzales and block prints by Daniel Gonzalez.
Art and Folk Art on loan from the Collection of Joseph A. Rund and Alfonso Reta.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Ventura
The Museum of Ventura County’s Las Contemporaneas will present its annual “Night of the Living, Day of the Dead” celebration, featuring artist-created ofrendas throughout the galleries, adult crafts, food stations, tequila tasting, a Mercado with unique items for sale. and live music, from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 100 E. Main St., Ventura. Admission is $25. Call 805-653-0323, ext. 315 to check on ticket availability.
The museum will then hold a Day of the Dead Community Celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 as part of its Free First Sunday program. The event features music, dance and crafts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the whole family. Visitors can also see the artist-created altars on display.
Sunday’s entertainment includes performances by Danza Azteca Tonantzin, Ballet Folklórico Mestizo of Oxnard College Ballet Folklórico de CSU Channel Islands, and Grupo Folklórico Tecalitlán feom Santa P:aula.
Two mariachi bands will perform—Mariachi de Mi Tierra from Hueneme High School as well as DATA (DeAnza Academy of Technology and the Arts) Middle School in Ventura.
Traditional craft-making is available for all ages, which includes, papel picados (cut paper banners), paper flowers, masks, paper skeletons, and face painting.
Visit http://venturamuseum.org/event/day-of-the-dead-weekend-events/ for more information.
Santa Barbara
Casa Dolores — Center for the Study of Popular Arts of Mexico, will present “Día de los Muertos at Casa Dolores” from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1023 Bath St., Santa Barbara.
The event features a sugar skulls workshop, your photo contribution to the ofrendas and pan de muerto. Suggested donation is $3. Visit http://www.casadolores.org/events.html for more information.
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Casa de la Raza will present a Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 at 601 E. Montecito St., Santa Barbara.
The Day of the Dead celebration will feature traditional foods, folkloric dances, music, cultural arts & crafts, and children’s activities.
Contact Gloria Sanchez-Arreola at 805-570-5452, via email at gsanchezarreola@gmail.com or visit http://www.lacasadelaraza.org for more information.
San Luis Obispo
The Día de los Muertos “Day of the Dead” Celebration and Procession will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at San Luis Obispo’s Historic Mission Plaza. The celebration features traditional musicians, poets, Aztec and Folklorico Dancers, arts and crafts, Mexican food, and more culminating in an auction of handmade works inspired by Dia de Los Muertos. The SLO Museum of Art will also host a free, fun Family Day in conjunction with the event. All materials to decorate traditional sugar skulls and make colorful papel picados / traditional cut paper banners will be providid by artist teachers. Hosted by Wilshire Hospice, in collaboration with SLO Mission Church de Tolosa and SLO Museum of Art. Visit www.wilshirehcs.org or email dod@wilshirehcs.org or call 805-547-7025, ext. 25 for more information.
Santa Maria
The Mexican American Scholarship Council and Recreation Association (MASCARA) will present its 20th annual Día de los Muertos altar exhibit from Oct. 28 through Nov. 2 at the Santa Maria Town Center Mall, 142 Town Center East, first floor.
The exhibit is open during mall hours, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Call 805-720-3139 for more information.
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The Día de los Muertos “Day of the Dead” Cultural Celebration will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Veterans’ Memorial Community Center, 313 W. Tunnell St., Santa Maria. free, family-friendly events will include youth activities, dance performances, live music, food and vendor booths, altar displays, and more. Anyone can submit an application to create an altar in memory of a deceased loved one. Altars are free to create but a completed application is required.
Altar and vendor applications are available at the Recreation and Parks Department, 615 South McClelland St.
Questions may be directed to the Recreation and Parks Department, 925-0951, ext. 260.
Santa Paula
The Santa Paula Art Museum will host a free Family Day event celebrating Día de los Muertos from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 117 N. 10th St., Santa Paula.
Families can participate in traditional hands-on art activities such as papel picado, La Catrina and El Catrin puppets, bonnets and sombreros, and decorate sugar skulls. Explore the community altar “Tribute to the Dream” and contribute by bringing an item as an offering or ofrenda in honor of a hero in your life. Enjoy stories that depict the traditions of Dia de Los Muertos.
Visitors will also be able to view the “21st De Colores Art Show: In Search of Magulandia”, an exhibition featuring art by over 30 artists from across Southern California and the Southwest. The show is a tribute to the legacy of visionary Chicano artist Gilbert “Magu” Luján and celebrates Latino heritage, history, and iconography.
Regular admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and is free for museum members and students. For more information, please contact the Museum at 805-525-5554, or email info@santapaulaartmuseum.org.