Siskiyou County Arts Council’s Siskiyou X Days program brought the annual Día de los Muertos celebration to Mount Shasta last Friday, creating a welcoming space for the whole community to remember loved ones who have passed.
Celebration highlights
Attendees enjoyed face painting, sugar‑skull decorating, traditional foods, and live music while contributing photos and mementos to a communal ofrenda—an altar that guides the spirits of the departed back home for a brief visit.
Patricia Lord, executive director of the arts council, explained that grants from the council funded the event, which was organized by Latino Outdoors and Seeds Of Ancestral Renewal (SOAR). “We really wanted it to feel like a celebration of our culture,” said Renée Camila, SOAR’s Wellness Director, adding that the goal was to let people from outside the Mexican lineage engage in a way that is “generative, reciprocal, and liberatory” rather than extractive.
Community inclusion
Camila emphasized that the outdoor setting was chosen to ensure the celebration was accessible to every resident of Mount Shasta. “Part of our intention is like, ‘here, this is for everybody,’” she said, noting that the event was rooted in the local community’s direct connections to the tradition.
Local resident Adriana Cerebro expressed the importance of such events for a small town. “Dado que es un pueblo tan chiquito, organizar eventos como estos es realmente importante,” she told a reporter, adding that neighbors truly care for one another and that sharing culture strengthens community bonds.
The meaning of the ofrenda
Bianca Garza, the artist who created the ofrenda, described it as a bridge between old‑world Mexican customs and the western setting of Siskiyou. She explained that the altar’s offerings—favorite snacks and trinkets of the departed—help guide spirits back home. “Specifically with the ofrenda, it’s about recognizing that we walk with grief and having grief means that we had love,” Garza said.
The celebration reflects a broader trend of Mexican traditions becoming more public after popular media like Pixar’s Coco introduced Día de los Muertos to wider audiences. While historically observed in homes or churches as a family‑focused observance, the event in Siskiyou demonstrates how cultural heritage can enrich the entire Mount Shasta community.
Looking ahead
Siskiyou X Days will continue for ten days, offering an open‑studio art experience that supports non‑western traditions across the county. Organizers hope the Día de los Muertos gathering will inspire ongoing dialogue, cultural exchange, and a deeper appreciation for the shared humanity that binds neighbors together.
Original reporting: Shasta Scout (Redding) — read the source article.
