Los Dias de los Muertos

Last week, this spot featured the undead Nosferatu. This week, let’s focus on the dead. Los Dias de los Muertos (Days of the Dead in Spanish) are celebrated in Mexico on November 1 and 2 as a time when families reconnect with their ancestors and kin who have passed on. Altars to the dead are built with marigolds (the flowers of the dead), candles, photos and favorite items of the deceased. Mexican families travel to cemeteries to clean the headstones of loved ones and visit with the spirits of those lost. For more than 25 years, Sacramento’s Mexican community has observed the tradition right here in the capital city. If you’d like to participate this year, there are two public events to orient you. On Friday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., Angelberta Cobb will lead the preparations for Sacramento’s annual Dia de los Muertos procession. This workshop is located at La Raza Galeria Posada, at 704 O Street. The procession itself begins at the gate of St. Mary’s Cemetery at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The cemetery is located at 6700 21st Avenue, off of 65th Street. Both events are free. Call 446-5133 or visit www.galeriaposada.org for more information.