Day of the Dead

2011-11-04T21:55:13Z

La Raza Galería Posada (LRGP) once again gathered 50 organizations, artists and community members at their annual Panteón de Sacramento (Sacramento’s Cemetery). The event is in commemoration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

La Raza Galería Posada is located at 1022-1024 22nd Street. This year the event moved down the street to 1015 20th Street at J Street.

The event was held on the last Saturday and Sunday of October and had many more hands on activities for visitors. The two day and evening festivities displayed altars dedicated to family members and loved ones who have passed away.

Local not for profit organizations, area artists, families and individuals built colorful altars that were on display and the event attracted several thousand guests.

Roberto Lopez, from LRGP, served as emcee and conducted tours during the event to give more information about the meaning of altars and Día de los Muertos. For readers not familiar with the event Día de los Muertos is a traditional Meso-American holiday dedicated to ancestors honoring both death and life.

In Mexico, and now other parts of the world, neighbors and families gather at graveyards to share food, music, have fun and remember those who have died.

LRGP is also hosting an exhibition honoring Día de los Muertos. The exhibition, funded by the James Irvine Foundation has been on display since October 7 and will close on Saturday November 12.

The gallery exhibit features Danny Correa’s "New Year's Eve at the Rancho Correa." The exhibit celebrates his great grandparents’ ranch near Elk Grove. Personal family heirlooms of the Correa family are part of the exhibit including candelabras, pottery, Correa’s grandfather’s acoustic guitar and life size skeletons dressed in their best New Year’s Eve clothing, jewelry and accessories.

The LRGP’s smaller gallery is hosting an exhibit by Southern California artist Martha Rameriz-Oropez. Original illustrations from the book “The Toltec I-Ching” are featured.

Hands on activities were available at the Panteón de Sacramento for those who attended .Sugar skull decorating workshops, paper marigold flower making, Día de los Muertos mask decoration and face painting were available.

Thirty volunteers from the AmeriCorps were on hand to help with the event. The National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) division of AmeriCorps volunteers spent time helping wherever they could and also enjoyed participating in some of the events.

Assigned spots were given to altar creators who registered up to months in advance. Work started very early as people began constructing their altars beginning at 6 in the morning and NCCC volunteers were there at 7 on Saturday morning.

The Panteón opened for the public at 11:00 a.m. and I noticed that several people who created altars last year returned.

Danza Azteca-Xantotl also returned from last year and conducted the opening ceremony. After several dances they invited the public to perform the Friendship Dance making this a much more delightful experience for those who participated.

Most of the altars were created using the traditional flower of the dead cempazuchitl (marigolds), papel picado, candles, photos of the loved one who have passed away, pan de muerto (Mexican sweet bread), religious artifacts and other items portraying the dead.

There was also a small stage were DJ Larry Rodriguez and DJ Albert Garnica played background music. The stage was also used for a poetry reading by Escritores Del Nuevo Sol. An open mic was also available where other original poetry was read.

The stage was also graced by the presence of Eduardo López Martínez who had flown up from Mexico a couple of days before. Martínez delighted the audience with his stories delivered via song and dramatic performance. His stories touched on many topics as he sang, in Spanish, songs about life, death, politics, family, dance and humor.

Martínez indicated that he had to put his performances together in a hurry. He put a wonderful selection of songs, sayings and stories that would fit the Day of the Dead celebration.

Martínez came up a couple of days before the event at the request of LRGP’s Marie Acosta. He flew in from Cuernavaca Mexico a couple of days before the event. He was planning on spending a week in the area.

As we spoke Martínez said he had not been in the Sacramento area in 15 years. He also noted the altars were very artistic in detail but noted that tradition has been lost on several of the exhibitions. He said, “I believe tradition makes things much simpler. The altars here give the feeling of being more urban and the tradition is more agricultural.” This made me realize that as the tradition moves to the States and other countries that it will change depending on past and present culture.

Martínez also noted that items placed on the altar, he believed, should include food and water for the traveling dead so that they can pass to their next destination and enjoy their brief stay with the living. Photographs, flowers, food, water and things that the deceased enjoyed while living ought to be included while creating altars. He also noted that the marigold flowers or pedals should be put down in a manner that it leads a path to the altar. Candles are also used to light the way to the altars.

Listening to Martinez speak it brought back memories of my childhood. I remember celebrating Día de los Muertos when I was growing up and more distinctively I remember one of my grandmothers had an altar in the corner of a room that remained up all year. Photographs and small memorabilia along with a candle and a fresh flower honored family members who had passed away.

The Panteón also included an altar for the public to place offerings. This altar had many notes to loved ones who had passed away and offered visitors a way to participate.

Marco Ferrero, author/artist/photographer, presented part of his book Hidden Truth - La Viuda de Don Marcos (Don Marcos’ widow).

The story was inspired by factual moments and people in Ferrero’s life. The book will eventually be put to film and his book is only the beginning of a larger project.

Ferrero made a dramatic entrance as he walked around the Panteón with folklorico dancer Julia Wolfe and Trisha Pickerel.

Later their performance began with the magnificent voice of Veronica Esparza P singing several “Ranchera” songs in Spanish. Veronica wore a beautiful golden mariachi style outfit and her face was painted to fit the Día de los Muertos décor.

After a few songs which included Tomas Mendez’ “Una Blanca Palomita” (A Little White Dove) Marco Ferrero took the stage to read a short story included at the end of his book Hidden Truth. The folklore story is included as part of the book he’s been working on for the past 15 years. Ferrero also had an altar devoted to people he’s loved, who have had a great impact in his life and who are no longer with us.

Before Ferrero embarked on his story and in the voice and persona of Don Marco he said, “I was fortunate to run into someone 3 days ago who passed away and she asked me that if my daughter happens to be at the Panteón will you deliver a message to her?”

Ferrero continued to speak as Don Marco, “Even though I’m dead, I still have feelings. My grandmother’s name was Flora and her favorite flower was a lily and the lady that I ran into, her name was Lily and she said can you please deliver a message to my daughter? Tell her I’m okay, I’m at peace now. Now that I can finally move on it’s time for you to move on and it’s okay, it’s time to take care of yourself because you have been taking care of me for many years."

With a compassionate voice Don Marco continued, “I brought with me a lily to give to… I believe her name is Pat Taylor. Is there a Pat Taylor here?” Don Marco gave the flower to the daughter of a dear friend Candice Bima who had passed away.

As Taylor came to the stage to receive the lily tears rolled down her cheeks obviously moved by the offering. Others in the audience felt her emotion and also shed tears as Taylor returned to her seat.

Ferrero went on to read Viuda de Don Marco which told the story of a peasant girl by the name of Esperanza (Hope). As the story continued it told of the girl’s love for a young nobleman by the name of Marco. Esperanza and Marco fell in love and they planned to elope and marry.

Death fell upon Don Marco and no-one knew what caused his death. Ferrero stopped his story at this time and invited Veronica Esparza P to come back to the stage to sing a couple of more songs and he would continue his story after that.

After a couple of songs Ferrero informed the audience that because time had run out he would be unable to continue the story but said the story has a very happy ending.

Ferrero and Wolfe danced on stage as Veronica Esparza P sang "La Llorona."

Close to the stage a young woman dressed as a bride in Día de los Muertos makeup stood by an altar she and her mother had built. Katie said, “My altar is for my dad. I did not have the time to say goodbye to him, this is my way of saying goodbye.”

Bev is a single mother and shared that Leo, Katie’s dad, had passed away on May 25 from advanced liver cancer. Bev said that Leo kept in contact with Katie.

Neighbor Armando Flores told them about the Panteón and Katie said, “This was like the first major loss to me. With the altar we celebrate him and who he was so this way I can still hold on to him even though he’s not here.”

Katie shared that a Sierra Mist and Skittles on the altar was something special for her. She said, “Whenever he came to visit, when he could, he brought Skittles and because my mom said I couldn’t have caffeinated drinks he would bring Sierra Mist or Sprite. That was like our hang out drink and candy.”

The Brown’s touching story was similar to others who had built altars to loved ones. Each altar has a special meaning to those who created them and their stories are in many cases quite emotional and at the same time they seem to bring closure to personal relationships that were cut short.

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Day of the Dead