Dia de los Muertos celebrations planned 08

Photos by Dave Thomas

Traditional dancers attract a large crowd at Oceanside’s Día de los Muertos celebration in 2006.

After the ghouls and goblins of Halloween, the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations across North County next weekend offer a more thoughtful way to commune with the holiday spirits.

Dia de los Muertos is being observed at three major venues with such relish and flair that the uninitiated might think the holiday is a local one. Best of all, the events are free.

The largest and best known of these is the Dia de los Muertos in downtown Oceanside Nov. 2 along Pier View Way at Coast Highway. Drawing about 500 people in its original incarnation in 2000, the festival has grown a hundredfold, drawing about 50,000 people last year, said Cathy Nykiel, event coordinator for MainStreet Oceanside, which organizes Dia de los Muertos.

“In the first year, it wasn’t allowed on the streets,” Nykiel said. “Now, eight years later, the city considers it one of their better events. How many events can you join in? At most events, you just watch someone do it for you. Or you buy something.”

Dia de los Muertos was celebrated by pre-Columbian Indians in Mexico to honor ancestors, said Carlos von Son, professor of multicultural studies and foreign languages at Palomar College and adviser to the event.

With the arrival of the Spanish, the Roman Catholic Church incorporated the native tradition into the church’s All Saints and All Souls Day on Nov. 1 and 2, respectively.

The Oceanside celebration will have 24 ofrendas (altars) built by local organizations, families and schools, Nykiel said. The ofrendas are brightly decorated with marigolds, skulls and skeletons and have food offerings, including the Pan (bread) de Muerto.

Entertainment and ceremonies will abound, including mariachi bands, rubios (cowboy) dancers, Aztec dancers and the comparsa, a mock funeral procession with marching band, priests, shamans and even a family following a coffin.

“There’s someone in the coffin, but it’s just play,” Nykiel said. “It’s not like someone is deceased.”

Another highlight is the Chalk Cemetery in the alleyway between the Coast Highway and Freeman Street. Organizers provide flowers, candles and chalk free of charge for people to create a memorial for loved ones.

Kim Heim of MainStreet Oceanside said the Chalk Cemetery has grown from 20 memorials when it was introduced in 2002 to about 500 memorials last year.

“If you’re a camera buff and like to take pictures, Dia de los Muertos is the most photogenic event in North County,” Heim said.

The California Center for the Arts, Escondido is celebrating Dia de los Muertos for the 14th year with an exhibition of ofrendas from Nov. 1-7. But the museum will augment that with a special celebration on Saturday with entertainment and interactive exhibits, said spokeswoman Theresa Ramirez.

About 60 students from San Pasqual and Escondido high schools will be leading activities for all ages, such as making sugar skulls, skull masks and paper flowers, Ramirez said. In addition, students from San Pasqual High School will paint a mural during the festival.

While previous exhibitions brought about 300 visitors, Ramirez expects double the amount this year.

“This year we did a lot more outreach,” she said. “We sent fliers through Edco (trash disposal) bills. A lot of people think that it’s a somber holiday, but it’s really fun.”

The library at Palomar College in San Marcos has a holiday exhibit, featuring ofrendas made by two student groups, running until Nov. 13. The exhibit will also highlight Dia de los Muertos art and handicrafts from von Son’s extensive collection.

As they do in Mexico, people are encouraged to leave favorite foods and items associated with deceased loved ones at the ofrendas, just like the Oceanside and Escondido events, von Son said.

“You leave things that will attract the soul of the dead,” he said. “It’s easier for them to find and they’ll know that we’re thinking about them and celebrating them.”