Honoring the dearly departed during Día de Los Muertos celebrations in November
To honor the dearly departed, a few organizations in the High Desert have scheduled Día de Los Muertos — or Day of the Dead — celebrations.
Celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, the time is an indigenous holiday that originated in southern Mexico and celebrates the remembrance of family members and friends who have died.
Flowers, decorated altars, sugar skulls, dancers, Mexican sweetbread, drinks and music are essential parts of the festivities. Many people also have their faces painted with sugar skull designs. Loved ones also clean and decorate grave sites with skulls, garlands, candles and marigold flowers.
The idea is that departed loved ones will visit and feast on the “essence” of the foods from the altars — at a home or at a grave.
More: High Desert has a frightfully full calendar of Halloween, fall-themed events
Traditionally celebrated in Mexico and Central America, Día de Los Muertos gained popularity in the U.S., especially after the release of the Disney Pixar movie, “Coco,” in 2017.
Here is a look at some celebrations in the region.
Día de Los Muertos Community Altar
Victor Valley College will host its 2nd Annual Día de Los Muertos Community Altar from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the campus in Victorville.
Organizers of the Day of the Dead celebration are inviting the public to come and place photos or names of their missed loved ones on a special altar.
The celebration will feature Mariachi Contreras de Tecalitlan, Folklorico Revolucion and Brian Caballero Floreando with a special rope dance.
There will also be pan de muerto, or Mexican sweet bread of the dead, hot chocolate and the presentation of the community altar.
The celebration location is the Student Activity Center on the upper campus of VVC at 18422 Bear Valley Road in Victorville.
Desert View Memorial Park
Desert View will host a Day of the Dead event from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the funeral home and park located at 11500 Amargosa Road in Victorville.
The celebration will include food vendors, face painting, mariachis, an altar contest and more. For more information, call 760-244-0007.
Remembrance ceremony
The Hesperia-based Multi-Cultural Dance Center will host a Día de Los Muertos dance presentation at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Granite Hills High School at 22900 Esaws Avenue in Apple Valley. For more information, visit facebook.com/MCDC.Hesperia.
Car show and vendor fair
Deviating from the spiritual traditions of Día de Los Muertos, the Whosoever Car Club will host a “Celebration of Life” car show and vendor fair.
The event is scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Bear Valley Coin Car Wash at 17165 Outer Bear Valley Road in Hesperia.
During the event, vehicle owners will have displays around their cars, bicycles and motorcycles, which will include photos of loved ones, flowers, candles, food and other items.
The Albert Miranda Project will be there playing blues, jazz and soul tunes. There will be raffles and a variety of vehicle show trophies, including best car display, best of show, furthest distance traveled and more.
The car club is a ministry of The Church for Whosoever located in Apple Valley. For general, vendor or car show information, call 909-688-5822.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: See the High Desert's Día de Los Muertos celebrations in November
