The smell of burning incense drifts through Santa Monica Boulevard. The boom of distant parade drums begins to echo. Large groups of people with skeleton face paintings and floor-length gowns fill the sidewalk. A Día de Muertos festival must be near.
Last Saturday, thousands gathered at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to honor the lives of departed loved ones with show-stopping altars, lively parades and performances from musicians such as Pedro Fernandez, Los Lobos and Estevie. Many took the opportunity to dress up in elaborate Día de Muertos costumes. Some choose to reinterpret the symbol of la Catrina, a historic image of a female calavera. Others dressed as their own versions of la Muerte.
Whether a tribute to a loved one, a way to celebrate culture or an avenue for education, dressing up for Día de Muertos holds a different significance to each attendee. Here are a few people who went above and beyond with their outfits.
Five years ago, Denise Romero set out to become a makeup artist. But since then, her life has become centered on celebrating Día de Muertos all year long. Traveling all over the state to different events, participating in photo shoots and even making costumes for others, Romero and her husband, Miguel, from Perris, have built their lives around dressing for the November holiday.
Describing their garage as a Día de Muertos warehouse — filled with more than 20 different garments, props and floral headpieces — Romero sees the celebration as an ode to her grandmother who took her to her first Día de Muertos event and taught her to sew. The most important part of the season is honoring her grandma’s memory and keeping the traditions alive with her own children.
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“At the end of the day, we’re all united by the one common thing, which is losing a loved one. We all get to share in the passion of keeping their memory alive through dressing up,” Romero said. “I find joy in that. Even though they’re physically not here, everything they left behind is here, and we can all share in that.”
Every year, the couple creates a specific look around the Hollywood Forever theme. This year it was “tonas and nahuales” or spirit guides and guardians. Wearing a deep shade of blue, Denise Romero sticks to tradition by always wearing a big skirt and rebozo, while her husband sports a feathery, skeleton mask.
It’s not every year that Alice Murieta, 9, dresses up for Día de Muertos, but when she does, she’s ready. As La Muerte, from Jorge Gutierrez’s “Book of Life,” she wears a wide-brimmed hat with candles atop and a floor-length dress — complete with marigolds and skulls, almost exactly portraying the movie character. Walking around the cemetery, the fourth-grader describes feeling sweaty and tired, but she says as she saw more and more Catrinas — all worth it.
Even as people continued to approach her to share how much they loved her costume, Murieta isn’t sure if she will dress up again. Admittedly, it was all her mother Norma’s idea. As one of the face painters for the annual event, she is well acquainted with the attire of the cemetery event and she says she wanted to make sure her daughter felt included.
“We started it all from scratch and were able to create a really accurate costume. It was really special because I got to show my kids the importance of Día de Muertos traditions,” Norma Murieta said. “It took me forever, but it was well worth it for the memories that my kids are gonna have. I want them to remember, ’My mom did this for me, and this is what our culture is about.’ ”
Klaritza Hasbun dresses up as la Muerte Preciosa, a name for her version of la Catrina, almost every month of the year. As a former folklorico dancer, the Paramount resident realized that even after years of performing at celebrations, there was still so much to learn about the holiday. Now as la Muerte Preciosa, she dedicates her entire persona to help educate and bring attention to different cultural topics. Over the years, she has worn special pink-themed looks for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, big rainbow dresses for Pride Month and a medusa-inspired costume for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“I feel like I’m a whole other person when I am dressed as la Muerte Preciosa. I always talk about her in the third person,” said Hasbun. “I truly feel like she is a whole other being. She represents so many things that are beautiful and fun, but also with so much honor and pride behind it all.”
At the Hollywood Forever festival, she wears one of her Pride Month outfits — a floor-length purple gown lined with rainbow and a multicolored floral headpiece.
Dressing up for Día de Muertos is something Miami resident Bernadette Feliciano can finally check off her bucket list. Having grown up in California, the Cuban travel agent has always participated in the Día de Muertos holiday, from setting up an ofrenda at home to wearing calavera makeup in her wedding photos. But coming from Florida, she says she’s a “little jealous” of L.A.’s vast celebration as Miami doesn’t host anything similar.
The holiday is an opportunity to spend time with the memories of those who came before us, and celebrate life.
Wearing a golden headpiece, she showed up at the cemetery early to get her face painted and quickly change into her gown. She wanted to resemble La Caridad de Cobre, a Cuban symbol for the Virgin Mary with her own personal twist — where she hung framed pictures of her departed loved ones on the side of the dress.
“There were a lot of children who came to me and asked me about the people on my dress. I loved explaining to them why I was wearing them and who they were,” said Feliciano. “I’m so happy that I could dress up and share the memories of my loved ones in this way. As those kids get older, I hope they remember why we were all dressed up and the significance of the day.”
For Mona Chandler, the preparation for Día de Muertos festivities begins in August. Attending up to six events a year and wearing a different outfit each time, the Mountain View School District employee says dressing up provides her an escape from everyday life. Rooted in the traditions her mother showed her as a child, Chandler focuses on creating looks that represent her own experiences.
At Hollywood Forever, she leans into the imagery of Loteria and paper flowers — drawing on memories of playing the card game with beans and crafting the flowers in her childhood home. The distinctive playing cards line her wire skirt and fill her headpiece, while the flowers add a colorful accent. After frequenting the same events for the past several years, Chandler says she is pleased to see the same faces.
“We may only see each other once or twice a year, but it’s really a nice community of people that are very much connected to their past, their history and their culture,” Chandler said. “We encourage keeping these traditions alive. We all do it for the love for people who have passed, our communities and culture. I love being part of it.”
Celebrate Día de Muertos here with this list of what L.A. has to offer. Also, feel free to contribute to our digital altar.
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