23/10/2025
🎉 If you’ve seen Disney’s Coco, you’ve had a glimpse of the vibrant and colorful celebration of life after death: Día de los Mu***os. Rooted in traditions that date back more than 3,000 years, it began with the Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico, who used the holiday to honor deceased loved ones and believed that each year the spirits of loved ones could return to visit the living during this time. In the past two decades, the celebration has crossed borders, gaining popularity in the U.S., where it is primarily observed on November 1 and 2.
💀 One common element each celebration has is the centerpiece of the holiday–the ofrenda–an altar to honor our loved ones. Each ofrenda is unique but some traditional items are: photographs of the departed, calaveras, candles, cempasuchil, and pan de mu**to. Arturo Enciso of explains, “Pan de mu**to is a symbolic bread. It’s topped with little different shapes on top of it that some people say represents teardrops and other people say it represents bones.”
🌴 A newer addition to Long Beach’s festivities is the Viva La Vida run in Belmont Shore. Host Angela Holder, who once lived in Mexico, said her idea grew from experiencing the holiday there, “It becomes this magical place at that time. Everybody’s in the parks and they’re near the church and there’s flowers everywhere.”
☀️ From neighborhood ofrendas to fresh loaves of pan de mu**to, Long Beach offers many ways to honor the tradition. This season, visit local events and bakeries to celebrate Día de los Mu***os in your own way.
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