Food for The Day of the Dead (audio)

Austin Cross, AirTalk LAist.com, 89.3 FM; Crystal Q., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

First of all, what TDOTD?

Happy Hallowtide. Every year on the last Saturday before Nov. 2nd, Hollywood Forever welcomes the world onto its cemetery grounds to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos – the "Day of the Dead."

This is one of Mexico’s most colorful traditional holidays, which reunites and honors beloved ancestors, family, and friends.

It is believed that on Dia de Los Muertos, the living commune with the dead – at a mystical time when the veil is lifted between their two realms so that they may share a day together.

At Hollywood Forever participants from the around the world, most of them in costume, spend a unique and memorable day.

The cemetery comes to life with joyful celebration, as a vibrant procession featuring hundreds of Aztec ritual dancers weaves through the cemetery.

More than 100 altars, created by members of the community in remembrance of their beloved ancestors and loved ones, dot the grounds.

Musical performances by Grammy Award winning recording artists entertain on five stages. More

• Día de los Muertos | Hollywood Forever (ladayofthedead.com)
• Hollywood Forever Cemetery, L.A.
• 9:00 am-12:00 am, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023

Food for Day of the Dead (KPCC FM)

We're not the Dead, we're mocking the living.

November is just around the corner and with it a major holiday for many in the USA's Latin American community. It’s Día de los Muertos ("The Day of the Dead").

Here in Los Angeles that means days of festivals and celebrations of life and the lives of those we have lost (the dearly departed, the grateful dead, the hungry ghosts or petas).

Can I be Latina like you guys? (Lana Del Rey)

It also means bakeries full of specialty treats for families’ ofrendas or altar offerings. One of the most common offerings put out for the holiday is the Pan de Muerto ("Bread of the Dead"), a sweet bread made with orange blossom water and dusted with sugar.

Its distinct shape resembles a skull and crossbones and is put out to honor the souls (gandhabbas) of loved ones who have since passed away to the great beyond of the afterlife (rearising somewhere else guided by past and present karma).

Maybe we can ask Santa Muerte

Today on AirTalk for "Food Friday," guest host Austin Cross delves into the history of the Pan de Muerto and its connection to the Day of the Dead with Heber Lopez Renteria, store team leader for La Monarca Bakery's Los Angeles locations, and Gab Chabrán, associate editor of food and culture for LAist.

• AUDIO: COVID-19 latest: FDA study looks into dangerous risk of stroke for anyone who pairs COVID and flu vaccinations | LAist (NPR News for Southern California, 89.3 FM (kpcc.org)

The show is also open to listeners calling in! If anyone celebrates Día de los Muertos and has a favorite treat or offering for the holiday, share it with the show. How can we celebrate or honor a loved one through food?

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