It’s a day intended for remembering family and friends who have passed from this life, but per the norm, Day of the Dead celebrations across the Archdiocese were fun-filled, vibrant, downright joyous occasions.
Over the course of two weekends -- Saturday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Nov. 4 – a trio of our most storied cemeteries hosted thousands of our faithful for day-long celebrations. At Calvary in East Los Angeles and Santa Clara in Oxnard, the crowds were large, and things felt assuredly normal as they marked their second year of in-person celebrations after the two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The big story, however, was San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, which hosted its first full-fledged celebration, with all the trappings of the big day – Spanish music, folkloric dancers, sizzling tacos, colorful shrines, and flowers adorning thousands of gravesites. For those who stayed till day’s end, San Fernando had a special treat – a breathtaking light show that took over the south wall of the mausoleum, with bright orange marigolds, monarch butterflies, a stately mission chapel, a child kneeling before a cross, and other icons of the big day.
At all three cemeteries, it was a day of remembrance, as families turned out to spend a few hours of quiet reflection at the gravesites of departed loved ones. Hundreds, too, filled the chairs set up outdoors for Mass -- the focal point of these celebrations and a poignant reminder that for all who believe, eternal life awaits when our days on this earth draw to a close.
And for all who turned out for the festivities, they found a warm, uplifting spirit -- one that has become a major expression of Latino culture -- and our faith -- across southern California.