It has become a tradition for Los Angeles’s Grand Park to pay tribute to the cultural tradition and holiday known as Día los Muertos, Day of the Dead. The Ninth Annual Downtown Día De Los Muertos will begin on October 22, 2021 and continue through November 2, 2021 in the 12-acre park located in the civic center of downtown Los Angeles. This annual event will feature free family-friendly and community-focused altars and traditional Noche de Ofrenda (Night of the Offerings) Ceremony; all of which include art installations and live performances.
Día De Los Muertos originated in Mexico but is observed by people of Mexican heritage everywhere. It is often associated with the Catholic celebration known as All Saints’ Day and All Soul’s Dance but has a much more celebratory atmosphere. Día De Los Muertos is known as a day or joyous celebration rather than one of mourning and involves family and friends paying respect to those who have died. In 2008, this annual tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Presented in partnership with Self Help Graphics & Art, Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos invites community park-goers to contribute to the community altar, created by 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellow Ofelia Esparza. Participants are also invited to walk through the park to witness the 20 altars made by professional artists and local community organizations. The community organizers include the East Los Angeles Women’s Center, Community Power Collective and the Eastside LEADS, among others. These altars will be well spaced to insure public health and safety guidelines.
Noche de Ofrenda will include an indigenous blessing, performances by Danza Divina de Los Angeles and CSUN’s folklórico ensemble, plus a poetry reading. Park-goers must wear face coverings when attending this event. Noche de Ofrenda will take place on the Grand Park Performance Lawn (Near Hill Street) October 23, 2021 – 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Noche De Ofrendas – Photo by Jose Sanchez
Noche de Ofrenda was created in the early 2000s by Master altar builder and Self Help Graphics legacy artist Ofelia Esparza and over the years evolved from Self Help Graphics to the Grand Park in 2013. This always popular ceremony and occurs on Saturday, October 23, 2021, at 7:00-9:00 p.m., featuring a performance of Danza Divina de Los Angeles, under the leadership of Founder/Director, Jeniffer Sanchez will perform excerpts from Sanchez’s danza production, Exploring The Gods as well as new works and traditional danza passed down for generations. Dance Divina de Los Angeles stands out amongst similar groups due to its blending of classical ballet and modern dance with its intricate and traditional danza footwork. Sanchez is honored to feature her mentor and long-time teacher, General Lázaro Arvizu (Danza Xipe Totec), truly a danza icon and an LA treasure. Other interesting information is that all of the regalia, beading and wardrobe creations in Danza Divina are created by Sanchez.
Based out of Sylmar, Grupo Folklórico Huitzillin, will be performing Celebration of the Journey to Mictlān which Program Coordinator at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and advisor for the school’s folklórico group, Diana Cabral describes as “ the story of three street vendors that know they are deceased but realize they did not complete their journey to Mictlān, the Aztec underworld where most people travel to when they die. Instead, they have ended up in the middle of a Dia de Los Muertos celebration at a large park in middle earth. With the help of three Veteranos from Mictlān, they complete their journey while growing butterfly wings along the way (as do all people that are considered heroes or warriors in Aztec culture). At the end of the journey, they realize the celebration, which included Aztec dancers, Ulamaliztli ball game players and folklórico dancers, was actually for them.” The ball game known as Ulamaliztli is a 3,000 year old game recently revived in Mexico. The game was played in Central America and parts of North America before being banned by the Spanish conquistadors.
Grupo Folklórico Huitzillin – Photo courtesy of TMC
Grupo Folklórico Huitzillin includes non-professional dancers of all ages who love to learn and dance folklórico. Celebration of the Journey to Mictlān will also include actors from Teatro Aztlan de CSUN. Cabral explains that the idea is to mix modern and ancient traditions of culture with folklórico, Aztec mythology and Meso-American games. The work is presented by Grupo Folklorico Huitzillin, Teatro Aztlan de CSUN and California Ajupeme USA (https://www.facebook.com/CA.AJUPEME.USA/).
“The past 18 months have been both a singular and collective loss for everyone. As we emerge from the sorrows of the pandemic, yet remain cautiously mindful of its presence, Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos once again invites Angelenos to join together to preserve and participate in this special cultural commemoration,” said Josephine Ramirez, executive vice president, TMC Arts. “Whether it’s to experience a familiar remembrance or an adopted tradition, Grand Park’s tribute to Día de los Muertos offers a central gathering place to honor passed lives and the living as we find ways to learn from and appreciate each other’s lived experiences through art.”
“Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos is very much a community-focused undertaking. By partnering with local organizations and artists, we bring together the diverse voices, perspectives, experiences and neighborhoods from among the many who make up one Los Angeles. This creates a vibrant tapestry of ofrenda that showcase what has been meaningful and in many cases hard for Los Angeles this year,” remarked Julia Diamond, director, Grand Park. “Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos encourages the public to experience these altars and public art installations from another’s point of view with the intention of creating compassion and empathy.”
The Community Altar at Grand Park’s Downtown de los Muertos 2020 – Photo by Beau Ryan
As guests move through Grand Park learning, hearing and experiencing the traditions of Día de los Muertos and the large-scale altar and installations, one of the annual community altar creators is Maestra Ofelia Esparza and her family. An artist and educator, Esparza continues to be instrumental in preserving and conserving the Día de los Muertos tradition in Los Angeles, and the community altar in Grand Park creates an opportunity for Angelenos to contribute their own personal ofrenda and mementos to honor a passed loved one.
Grand Park will offer attendees the option of listening to pre-recorded audio guides with insights from the artists to complement altar viewing. Park-goers can access the storytelling through Grand Park’s digital channels.
LACMA teaching artists will host free arts-based works during the Noche de Ofrenda ceremony held at Grand Park’s Downtown Dia de los Muertos on October 23rd – Photo by Nini Sanchez
“In a continued partnership with Grand Park, LACMA will host two family-friendly arts-based workshops dedicated to making personalized calavera—one of the most recognizable cultural and artistic elements of the Day of the Dead festivities. Each 20-minute workshop held throughout Noche de Ofrenda will engage kids to create their own calavera using air dry clay, paper plates and other craft items as LACMA teaching artists show park-goers how to sculpt, shape and transform ordinary materials into colorful Día de los Muertos artworks. LACMA will also host a “Tree of Life” in Grand Park encouraging park-goers to write the name of a passed loved one on a colorful ribbon; the name and ribbon will remain placed on the tree in remembrance for the duration of Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos.” Grand Park press release.
Situated on the ancestral and sacred land of the Tongva and many other indigenous groups who call these grounds home, The Music Center acknowledges and honors with gratitude the land itself and the First People who have been its steward throughout the generations.
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WHAT: Grand Park’s Día de los Muertos Altars and Art Installations
WHEN: October 22–November 2, 2021 – 5:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m. (normal park hours of operation)
WHERE: Grand Park (between Grand Avenue and Hill Street)
*Artists and events are subject to change.
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For more information about Grand Park’s Downtown Día de los Muertos, please click HERE. Follow Grand Park on Facebook (GrandParkLosAngeles), as well as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok (@GrandPark_LA).
To learn more about Self Help Graphics & Art, click HERE. Follow SHG on Facebook @selfhelpgraphics and Instagram and Twitter @SHG1970.
Written and compiled by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle from Grand Park press release.
Featured image: Noche de Ofrenda ceremony during Grand Parks Downtown Dia de los Muertos – Photo courtesy of Grand Park
