Grief as a community bridge during Día de los Muertos event in Siskiyou

Siskiyou X Days, a program of the Siskiyou County Arts Council, helped to support a community Día de los Muertos gathering in Siskiyou last Friday that featured face painting, sugar skull decorating, food, a community ofrenda and music. 

Attendees participated in the crafts and cultures but also made time to reflect on their loved ones who have passed, bringing along pictures of their departed. 

Día de los Muertos is a three-day annual celebration, starting on Oct. 31 and running through Nov. 2. Those who celebrate Muertos don’t see death as a reason for grief. Instead, they view it as a natural stage in the continuous cycle of life. The departed, they believe, remain part of the community and are kept alive through memory and spirit. During the holiday, they are believed to return to Earth for a brief time to be with their loved ones. 

Often celebrated in churches or in the comfort of one’s home, Muertos is traditionally a small family affair. Recently popularized by media such as the Pixar movie “Coco,” Mexican communities have started to open the door to the public to join the celebration. 

Siskiyou X is a 10-day all-county open studio and art experience event that supports non-Western traditions, said Patricia Lord, executive director of the arts council. Grants from the organization powered the Muertos event, which was hosted by Latino Outdoors and Seeds Of Ancestral Renewal, or SOAR.

“We really wanted it to feel like a celebration of our culture,” said SOAR’s Wellness Director Renée Camila of the event, “… and also give an opportunity for folks who aren’t from this lineage to engage with it in a way that feels generative and reciprocal and liberatory focused, so that it’s not extractive.”

The outdoor celebration was intended to ensure inclusion in the cultural event for the entire Mount Shasta community, Camila said. 

“Part of our intention is, like, ‘Here, this is for everybody,’ and it’s coming from the folks here that have these direct connections, and hopefully you can take home something today that helps you connect to your lineage and your ancestors,” she said. 

Speaking to a reporter at the event, an attendee used her native tongue to express the meaningfulness of including the larger Mount Shasta community in order to foster connections across culture. 

“Dado que es un pueblo tan chiquito, organizar eventos como estos es realmente importante,” said Adriana Cerebro. “Al venir de un entorno donde te das cuenta de que tus vecinos son quienes realmente se preocupan por ti y te apoyan, puedes comprender lo valioso que es esto. Se trata de aportar algo a la comunidad, no en el sentido de ‘vender’ algo. Sino de compartir. Se trata de fomentar la conexión entre las personas, poco a poco, y despertar la curiosidad.”

“Since it’s such a small town, hosting events like these is really important. Coming from a background where you realize that your neighbors are the ones who truly look out for you, it’s clear how valuable this is. It’s about bringing something to the community, not in the sense of ‘selling’ something, but rather sharing. It’s about fostering connections little by little, sparking curiosity.”

Adriana Cerebro

The most vital aspect of the Muertos celebration revolves around the ofrenda, which serves as an offering table, lined with loved ones’ favorite snacks and trinkets to help guide them back home. 

The altar at the Siskiyou event on Friday represented old-world Western elements joined with Mexican culture, said Bianca Garza, who created the ofrenda. The significance for her was to have the public take the lessons home to apply meaning to their daily lives. 

“Specifically with the ofrenda, it’s about recognizing that we walk with grief, and having grief means that we had love,” she said. 

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