Finding Joy in Grieving Together at a Día de los Muertos Celebration in Oakland

As a kid growing up in Mexico, Luz Islas’s grandparents taught her to make altars for Día de los Muertos, a holiday typically celebrated Nov. 1-2. They explained the significance of the offerings used to adorn the homages to departed loved ones — the food, incense and flowers meant to bridge the distance between our world and the realm beyond.

A colorful altar of candles, photos, flowers and other decorations. — A colorful altar with traditional ‘ofrendas’ or offerings like corn husks, marigolds and fruits welcomes visitors to the 29th annual Día de Los Muertos celebration at the Oakland Museum on Oct. 22, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

“It’s like feeling them around us,” Islas said, while attending a Día de los Muertos celebration at the Oakland Museum of California in late October, where people viewed the collection of elaborate altars over the melody of mariachi music and the fervent drum beats accompanying a group of Aztec dancers.

Every year, Islas, 39, also builds an altar in her home, which she dedicates to her grandparents. She and many other Latinos living in the Bay Area consider the annual custom of making altars and attending community events as key to ensuring this and other cultural holidays are maintained across generations.

A person with flowers in their hair smiles in a photograph. — Luz Islas stands in front of an altar during the Día de los Muertos community celebration at the Oakland Museum of California on Oct. 22, 2023. ‘I grew up celebrating Dia de los Muertos at my grandparent’s house. We would all go to the flower market and get the flowers,’ she said. ‘We would put up the Altar together. So I’m celebrating them today.’ (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

“Feeling their love and support is like bringing them back to life and having that connection,” Islas said.

Celebrating the holiday has become particularly poignant following the intense isolation and loss many experienced during the height of the pandemic, during which communities of color were often disproportionately impacted.

Two mothers stand over their children who work on art projects at a table. — Ali Trejo (center) decorates sugar skulls with her son, Gunnar, 5, during a Día de los Muertos community celebration at the Oakland Museum of California on Oct. 22, 2023. Trejo recently moved to the Bay Area from Southern California and said she was impressed by the diversity of participants at the event. ‘Something that’s really important for us is teaching our children identity. I think this will form a strong foundation for him as he grows up: knowing where he comes from, who he is, and who he’s going to be.’ (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

“Being in the community is kinda like finding your tribe,” Islas said. “This means something to me, and it’s important to me.”

Martina Ayala, executive director of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco, which hosts several community altars, said they are like works of art – expressions of people’s love for their culture.

A person in a bright green dress dances in front of a large audience. — A crowd of attendees gather to watch Ballet Folklórico Raices Mexicanas dancers at the Oakland Museum of California on Oct. 22, 2023, during a Día de Los Muertos celebration. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

“The importance of passing it down to our children, it’s huge. And if you don’t have children, just educating yourself about it, you’re nourishing your cultural self,” she added.

These are some of the images from the Oakland Museum’s recent Día de los Muertos celebration that capture the collective joy of those who came to remember and grieve.