Mayor's Message: Celebrate the Dearly Departed at Dia de los Muertos by Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez - City News Group, Inc.

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Mayor's Message: Celebrate the Dearly Departed at Dia de los Muertos

By Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez
Mayor of Moreno Valley
10/19/2021 at 05:08 PM

Dear Moreno Valley Residents,

The fall season is here, and that means temperatures are cooling, the leaves are changing, and it’s almost time for one of my favorite holidays: Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

I love Dia de los Muertos because, at its core, it’s a celebration of family.

Instead of mourning our dearly departed loved ones, we build elaborate altars, or ofrendas, to celebrate and honor them. We also lay down paths of beautiful marigolds to allow our loved ones a safe passage from the spirit world into the world of the living.

This year, we are putting on a Dia de los Muertos celebration to remember. Join us on Friday, October 29 at our Civic Center Amphitheater for a night of food, altars, an artfest, ballet folklórico dancers, and Dreaming of You, an amazing Selena tribute band.

Among the ofrendas will be two that will pay tribute to Mayor Pro Tem Victoria Baca and Council Member Carla Thornton. I can’t think of a better way to honor their memories than to build incredible altars commemorating them.

I’m reminded of a quote by the writer George Eliot, who said: “Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” And we will never forget these Council Members.

That is the spirit of Dia de los Muertos—to always honor and commemorate our departed loved ones to keep them fresh in our memory.

I hope to see you there.

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