8th Annual El Panteón de Sacramento

Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead
 Hope, Resistance y Amor

The Latino Center of Art and Culture celebrated the 8th Annual Panteón de Sacramento, a 48 hour two-day program celebrating Día de los Muertos on Saturday, October 28 and Sunday, October 29, 2017.
 
The Panteón de Sacramento (Sacramento's Cemetery) is an urban re-creation of Día de los Muertos that takes place in small village cemeteries throughout Mexico. Altars were created, local vendors and activists reached out to the community, and performing artists graced us with their inspiring work.

This Year's Celebration Was  A Huge Success!

Día de los Muertos is a very personal holiday and each family that celebrates it has their own unique traditions that they follow. It is a cathartic experience for the living as well as a time to honor and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed on to the afterlife. “The dead come to life in the memory of the living, who evoke their particular customs, tastes, virtues and defects (Orellana 1999:67).” Dia de los Muertos acquaints children to their ancestors as well as introduces the concept of death to children at an early age as a natural rite of passage. For adults it provides an opportunity for communal mourning. Emotions surrounding Dia de los Muertos can be somber as well as celebratory. It is a time to remember, honor and show respect to the departed. The colorful holiday serves as a reunion for the dead as well as the living.

Photo by @steve4sac via Instagram

LCAC created a community altar for the public to place offerings. The community was invited to bring candles, photographs, bread, other foods, flowers, toys and other symbolic offerings for loved ones who have passed away.

Photo by @aldanuvia via Instagram

Photo by @wmd_is_me via Instagram

LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

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SPECIAL THANKS!

We couldn't have made this possible without the love and help of our community and the Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc., Inc.THANK YOU to all altar makers, vendors, participants, sponsors and volunteers for making the Latino Center of Art and Culture's 8th Annual El Panteón de Sacramento such a GREAT Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead celebration! Missing in photo: Bree Garcia,Jason Sinn, Jorge Ruiz, Carlos Montes-Ponce, Emilio Zacala, and Yolanda Molina.
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