Honouring Death, Dress-Up & Goodbyes

The red and gold marigold decorated bridge was one of the many beautiful decorations used to transform the Cemetery into a place of worship and awe

Not only was this holiday officially recognized in Los Santos but it was also an opportunity for everyone to learn more about this tradition and what it means to the people it represented. As a British citizen, this was one of the first interactions I had to this cultural festival and I found myself moved in many ways with the dedication and hard work that had gone into creating a space for those to honour people who had passed and to reunite the living with feelings of grief and nostalgia as bittersweet as that can be for us.

The festival was filled with activities and fun! The vendors: Casita and Saucy's Taqueria, were present to keep the festival-goers energised and we were lucky enough to have two flower vendors available (A Lily Blooms and The Hanging Gardens) so visitors could decorate the graves and places of rest of their own loved ones. Momenti Damore Photography were on hand to grab some photos of visitors and scenes across the festival to keep that memory forever.

Deliciously good food and photography skills compliments the beautiful arrangements of flowers for the event

The festival was filled with events including a lowrider parade where we could show off a variety of different styles of car followed by an opening speech and prayer by newly elected Governor: Brother Jeremy Barbant and followed by Nikki Cortez who was a vital part in creating this event and showcasing her culture and beliefs.

When asked why she wanted this festival she had this to say:

This event was thrown together by the helping hands of the community and that of Styx Funeral Services.

Our Governor, Brother Jeremy had this to say:

The festival was also a time to showcase the costumes and dress up from the Halloween spirit with a cash prize to 3rd, 2nd and 1st place winners. We had Prism Blackwood winning third with her impeccable makeup skills and traditional skull face paint. Second place went to the Hood Jesus himself: Dante Hendrix for his creative take on his costume and this humble reporter won first place with my rendition of Mama Coco from Disney Pixar's Coco.

The staff of Teaspoon of Boba dressed as the family from Coco

However the night to celebrate the dead and the living wouldn't be complete without music and we were lucky to have had the amazingly musical talents of DJ Orochi, Nikki Cortez, Mykie Romance, Mando, DJ Spooky and Lulu Moon - all of which brought the crowd to dance with their songs.

Sadly, the night ended with an announcement from Lulu Moon, explaining that she would no longer be making music for the people of Los Santos. Such an emotional end to such a long running musical talent as this follows the leaving of Pax from the musical scene as well. Raising the question of where does this leave the music scene? Could this Dia De Los Muertos be the final nail in the coffin of artists in the city or does this open up opportunities for others to take the mantle and possibly deliver a comeback for music? We'll let you be the judge of that dear readers.

Governor Brother Jeremy and Nikki Cortez at the Opening Ceremony of the Dia De Los Muertos festival