Noche De Altares: What a Time to be Alive

The first thing you notice are the marigolds, the small crinkled flowers in red, yellow, pink or orange. They are in women’s hair, painted on children faces, and all over the altars prepared for loved ones. No Day of the Dead festival would be complete without the marigolds.

Noche De Altares has been a staple in the Santa Ana community for thirteen years. On the first Saturday of November, two entire blocks of downtown Fourth Street are closed down for the day long festival, as families come and celebrate those they have lost.

“I have been coming every year for the past eight years. The community comes together and celebrates an amazing tradition, its wonderful!” said Rosa Martinez as she looked onto an altar her friend had made that was filled with pictures of her friends family. “I have never created an altar, but I am looking into it for the next year.”

As a Mexican tradition, altars are created for the Day of the Dead to commemorate those who were loved and have passed on and here at Noche De Altares, the altars are as grand as they can get with artfully placed candles, beautiful artwork and marigolds galore. Each altar is made to represent and honor the spirit of either a beloved person or group and does so by incorporating some of their favorite things. This tradition has been ongoing since the time of the Aztecs and remains important even now as festivals, like Noche de Altares, surface throughout hispanic communities.

Walking down the street, the pictures of those that the altar is dedicated to stare back at the crowd proud to be seen. The majority of pictures are old and black and white but then every so often you stumble upon recent photographs and its a quick reminder that death has no age.

“My son was twelve when he passed away last year,” mumbled Cynthia Reyes in from of her son’s altar full of Pokemon cards and Sour Patch Kids, “not a day goes by that I don't miss him.”

Each altar is individual. Foods like tamales, mexican sweet bread, and tortillas are displayed to represent the dead’s favorite meals. Plus, you can’t forget the Horchata, Coca Colas and Coronas to go with the food.

Some altars are for larger communities. The Trans community has a big space in which pictures of recent suicide victims are displayed, along with their short biographies. There is another for the LGBTQ community that has seven photos up and a single candle for each.

Even famous people get altars. Dozens of photographs of the late singer Selena cover one altar dedicated solely to her. Her fan club has put it together and it is a crowd favorite. Other altars focus on Mexican comedians, actors, and artists.

Among all the altars are the people. Thousands of them all moving along the street trying to get a good look at all the displays. Several people are dressed up in extravagant outfits with mariachi style tuxedos or puffy skirted colorful dresses and embroidered umbrellas along with skull make up on their faces as onlookers stop and take pictures with them.

Massive paper mache skulls are displayed all throughout the festival as well as papel cortado, colorful paper cut into symmetrical shapes, hanging above the crowds zigzagging from street lights.

At the very end of the street is the food. Tacos, tortas, enchiladas, and pambasos can all be purchased and enjoyed, as long as you leave enough room for some churros and champurrado, Mexican hot chocolate, for dessert. The lines for food are long and crowded, but the satisfaction in the look of those biting down into their Mexican eats is priceless.

A huge dance party is going on all day and night as the stage is continuously filled with live bands eager to play original songs and covers of Mexican classics, such as “El Rey” by Vicente Fernandez and a slew of hits from the popular 70’s band Los Apsons.

Right as he stepped away from a few minutes of dancing, Erick Lopez proclaimed, “It almost feels like the dance floor at a family party, everyone is welcoming.”

The yearly event is all wrapped up but applications for next years altars should be submitted soon due to the increase of submission.

An eager Clara Hernandez said, “This even keeps getting bigger and bigger, and I can't wait to see what they will have in store next year.”