Santa Monica Celebrates Día de los Muertos
Angel City Market and Third Street Promenade host Día de los Muertos event
Día de los Muertos performers get ready for their planned performance behind the main stage at the Third Street Promenade celebration in Santa Monica, Calif. on October 30, 2021. (Jon Putman | The Corsair)
On Saturday, Oct. 30, Santa Monica hosted its 11th annual Día de los Muertos event at the city’s Third Street Promenade. The festivities, organized by Downtown Santa Monica Inc., included traditional dancing, live music, face painting, as well as vendors from the Angel City Market.
The event celebrated Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is a Mexican holiday approximately 3,000 years old. The holiday originated as a way to show respect for and honor the dead. Today, Latinos, especially Mexicans, from all around the world gather every Nov. 1-2 to celebrate the lives of their past family members and loved ones.
The holiday is significant to many people, including Normz La Oaxaqueña, an organizer of the event. “This year has a whole meaning for me and it is something special for me now,” said La Oaxaqueña.
This is her first time organizing the event in Santa Monica for Día de los Muertos. She decided to coordinate it because the holiday is a strong part of her culture.
La Oaxaqueña is Oaxaqueña, which refers to her connection to the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and Día de los Muertos is one of the most important days to her people. To La Oaxaqueña, the holiday is a beautiful tradition because it commemorates the lives of her past loved ones. “Losing a loved one is sad and tragic, so this holiday allows you to keep their memory alive,“ she said.
There are people in other Latin American countries who celebrate Día de los Muertos, however, the traditions vary from country to country. Lorena Oliveros is a Colombian woman who participated in the event this year. Oliveros shared that her native Colombia incorporates certain aspects of the holiday, which includes visiting cemeteries and lighting candles to honor deceased family members.
Oliveros decided to take part in this event because the celebratory atmosphere makes her feel like she is at home. What she enjoyed about the tradition surrounding the Latin holiday was the ofrendas, which are offerings made in an altar to dedicate a lost loved one.
Throughout the celebration, which continued until approximately 10 p.m., passersby like Ana Hernandez stumbled upon the event on Third Street Promenade. Hernandez is of Mexican descent and Día de los Muertos brings her closer to a part of her cultural identity.
Although Hernandez did not have prior knowledge of the event, she felt gravitated towards it because of the live Latin music performed by various artists. “I just heard the music and I liked the music," said Hernandez.
There are several different ways to celebrate Dia de los Muertos and to keep alive the memory of lost loved ones. Santa Monica combined the most universal aspects of this rich tradition to create a meaningful celebration for the community.
