Whaley House Museum Old Town San Diego Dia de los Muertos
Old Town San Diego holds its second annual event honoring this historic and cultural celebration. Officially observed on November 1 and 2, the Day of the Dead pays homage to the presence of the dead among the living and is a colorful tribute to California’s own Mexican heritage. The holiday’s roots are deep in history, culture, and family tradition making it the perfect event for Old Town.
Día de los Muertos is a celebration of life and death. It is not in any way to be confused with Halloween which precedes it; the celebration is not ghoulish nor morose. The holiday is joyously spent with friends and family, as a time to offer hospitality to the spirits and to honor and remember loved ones.
Forty local businesses, museums, and shops will create traditional Día de los Muertos altars to offer a unique free Tour of the Altars that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Businesses will also provide a variety of entertainment with music, complimentary hot cocoa and other traditional treats. Workshops with everything from sugar skull decoration to mini take-home altars, skull face painting, and more will be available for visitors to take part in. Free lectures and presentations will be held daily at the Adobe Chapel as well.
Many of the altars will honor the historic figures from Old Town’s past. Decorated with photos, colorful sugar skulls and figurines or calaveras de azúcar and papel picado, colored tissue paper with artistic cutout motifs. Offerings or ofrendas are laid at the altars with items such as baked breads in shapes of skulls and figures, favorite drinks, candles, incense, and brightly colored yellow and orange marigolds. The public is encouraged to bring their mementos to add to a public altar in the historic El Campo Santo cemetery. The Girl Scouts of America’s Golden Hill chapter will build an altar to Girl Scout founder Julie Lowe in honor of its upcoming 100th anniversary inside the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center.
Altars will be up for viewing on Tuesday, November 1, 11am-8pm and Wednesday, November 2, from 11am to 8pm both days. Visitors will be able to watch some locations as they build their altars and interpreters will be on hand to explain the meanings of their particular altar throughout the two-day celebration.
On November 2 at 7pm the traditional candlelight procession will be held from the Whaley House Museum to El Campo Santo Cemetery. There, among the gravesites of Old Town’s earliest families, visitors may leave offerings of their own in honor of their lost loved ones. After the procession, after party events will be held at major restaurants and saloons throughout Old Town from 8pm to 10pm, these include Fiesta de Reyes, El Fandango, Café Coyote, Casa Guadalajara and more! Details of various establishments can be found on the events website page.
A unique experience, this free educational, cross cultural and magical event promises to become an annual tradition for all San Diegans.
Visitors will be able to visit all of the Old Town altars using a free self-guided tour map, available online at www.Whaleyhouse.org and www.otsdguide.com and hard copies will be available during the events.
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