Dia de los Muertos, Hollywood (10/26)

Mara: It's so nice of humans to remember me and King Yama, celebrating us as saints

This year (2024) the celebration at Hollywood Forever cemetery falls on Oct. 26th.

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I'm the hottest La Catrina. Everyone knows it.

Every year on the last Saturday before November 2nd, Hollywood Forever cemetery and mausoleum welcomes the Los Angeles community onto its funereal grounds to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos – the "Day of the Dead."

Dia de Los Muertos is one of Mexico’s most colorful traditional holidays, now celebrated throughout the Americas, including L.A. (Latin America). It reunites and honors beloved ancestors who have crossed over, family, and friends.

I see dead people. And they're real pretas.

It is believed that on Dia de Los Muertos, the living commune with the dead – the mystical time when the "veil" is lifted between their two realms (human plane and ghost realm) so that they may share a day together.

At Hollywood Forever participants from the around the world, most of them in costume, to spend a unique and memorable day. The cemetery comes to life with joyful celebration, as a vibrant procession featuring hundreds of Aztec ritual dancers who weave through the cemetery.

What does Mexican Buddhism know about life/death?

• Buddhist missionaries peacefully arrived in California and Mexico before Christian Catholicism launched a European genocide. See An Inglorious Columbus by Edward P. Vining (1885) and A Narrative History of Buddhism in America by Rick Fields. There are ancient traces of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Kemetic Egyptian traditions throughout the Grand Canyon, too.

Hi! We're Three Wiseguys here to see the boy!

More than 100 altars (ofrendas or "offerings"), created by members of the community in remembrance of their ancestors and loved ones, dot the grounds.

Musical performances by Grammy Award-winning recording artists entertain from five stages.

I'd rather be depressed, cling to loss

An art exhibition in The Cathedral Mausoleum displays hundreds of original artworks.

Food vendors from around Los Angeles, arts and crafts vendors, and a children’s arts project area complete the experience.

At the end of the day, judges choose the best dressed calaca ("skeleton"), as well as the most memorable votive altars.

This is truly an unforgettable experience! Find out more about Dia de Los Muertos celebration. More

In a Nutshell

There's a bigger costume contest than this.

Celebrated primarily in Mexico, November 2nd is Dia de Los Muertos, the "Day of the Dead." It remembers the lives of the deceased with food, drink, and celebration. This annual celebration is a daylong festival, featuring gorgeous altars, Aztec dancers, five stages of music and dance, arts and crafts, a ritual procession, and much more. It attracts attendees from around the world to Hollywood Forever

Mexican meditation

• Hollywood Forever Cemetery
• 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
• (at the intersection of Beechwood, under the Hollywood sign, next to the original LA Buddhist Vihara in the heart of Hollywood)
• Los Angeles, CA 90038
• Office (323) 990-4469
• Toll Free (866) 706-4826
• The largest Day of the Dead costume contest in California