Arts and Culture

Día de los Muertos Festivities in Oakland Bring in Crowds of Celebrants

On Oct. 22, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) held its annual celebration at 10th and Fallon streets while the Unity Council held a street festival on International Boulevard and Fruitvale Avenue last Sunday. Coinciding with Halloween, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, dates back to traditions established by the indigenous peoples of America that fused, over time, with the Catholic beliefs brought by Spanish conquistadors.

Published

2 years ago

November 7, 2023

Magaly Muñoz

A community altar including framed photos of the deceased among marigolds and candles at the Oakland Museum on Oct. 22, 2023. Photo by Eva Ortega

By Eva Ortega and
Magaly Muñoz,
Post Staff

In a haze of incense smoke, flickering candles and bright orange marigolds, Oakland outdid itself with two weekends of Día de los Muertos observances that were both solemn and festive.

On Oct. 22, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) held its annual celebration at 10^th and Fallon streets while the Unity Council held a street festival on International Boulevard and Fruitvale Avenue last Sunday.

Coinciding with Halloween, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, dates back to traditions established by the indigenous peoples of America that fused, over time, with the Catholic beliefs brought by Spanish conquistadors.

Though it has primarily Mexican roots, it is also celebrated in parts of Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and other countries.

Its components are also recognized as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations.

As they performed the ancient dance of the dead, the fragrant smoke of copal wafted over the Ollin Anahuac Traditional Aztec Dance group who were the stars of the opening ceremony at the Oakland Museum’s 29^th Annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration.

Despite wind and light rain, a sizeable crowd came out to view altars created by local groups, including students from Bret Harte Middle School, Richmond High School and Black Girls Excellence from Montera Middle School.

A vintage car becomes the site for an ofrenda at “Blooming Resistance,” the Unity Council’s 28th Día de los Muertos Festival on Oct. 29, 2023. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

A variety of performances also took place throughout the day, including by award-winning artist Gabriela Sepúlveda and notable poets Tino V. H., Jr., Briana Victoria Leung and Camila Elizabet Aguirre Aguilar.

Aguilar captivated listeners with an emotional performance dedicated to Vanessa Guillen, the 20-year-old army soldier whose 2020 murder sparked protests across the country.

“Oral storytelling is in our blood, and we’ve practiced this for hundreds, thousands of years,” Aguilar said. “When we have youth murdered that are indigenous to this content…women, it is important that we call attention to the powers and structures that cause [violence] and that we continue with the traditions of resistance and honoring the dead.”

While rain had depressed the numbers at the Oakland Museum celebration, the sun was bright on Sunday in the Fruitvale for “Blooming Resistance,” the 28^th such Día de los Muertos Festival.

The street was covered with brightly colored streamers and flowers and lined with vendors and informational booths.

Altares with photos and ofrendas could be seen at every corner of the festival. Many had personal notes from family, favorite foods of the deceased loved one and symbols that represent them.

Iliana Vasquez, who was hired by The Unity Council to help organize the event, expected a larger crowd than previous years and hoped to attract more than the usual 100,000 attendees.

“For me, the community is my main focus. I hope they’re there to have a good time with their families,” Vasquez said.

Food vendors crowded the streets, selling tacos, fruit, aguas frescas and most notably pan de muerto or ‘bread of the dead.’ This sweet bread is meant to resemble bones and is a vital part in the offerings used for the altars. It is used to lure souls to visit their loved ones.

Another staple in Día de los Muertos is the cempazúchitl, or marigold flowers that adorn the altars.

Rocio Plate was one of the many vendors who sold the marigolds, but instead of just selling them as a simple bouquet, she fashioned them into crosses and crowns and bunched them up into vases.

Resident Robert Berger says cultural events such as the one at OMCA are what brought him to Oakland almost a decade ago. He and his partner also attend the festival in Fruitvale every year.

“It’s what creates hope for the future amidst a lot of turmoil and it’s really what brought us to Oakland in the first place, being so eclectic, diverse and enriching,” Berger said. “If you don’t participate in them, you’re really missing out on a lot.”

Those who have missed both of Oakland’s Día de los Muertos events can still view OMCA’s “In Remembrance of Our Ancestors” installation that showcases how Día de los Muertos emerged as the holiday many recognize today. It will run until Nov. 26.

Eva Ortega is part of the Community Media journalism class at San Francisco State University.

Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper.

Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.

The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

Posts by Magaly Muñoz

Up Next

$5 Parking – Bringing New Life to Uptown and Downtown Business Areas

Don't Miss

Alameda County D.A. Charges Man Suspected in Oakland Shooting and San Leandro Homicides

Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper. Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities. The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

Click to comment

Advice

BOOK REVIEW: Let Me Be Real With You

At first look, this book might seem like just any other self-help offering. It’s inspirational for casual reader and business reader, both, just like most books in this genre. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll spot what makes “Let Me Be Real With You” stand out.

Published

3 weeks ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

Book cover of Let Me Be Real With You and author Arshay Cooper. Courtesy of HarperOne.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: Arshay Cooper, Copyright: c.2025, Publisher: HarperOne, SRP: $26.00, Page Count: 40 Pages

The hole you’re in is a deep one.

You can see the clouds above, and they look like a storm; you sense the wind, and it’s cold. It’s dark down there, and lonesome, too. You feel like you were born there — but how do you get out of the deep hole you’re in? You read the new book “Let Me Be Real With You” by Arshay Cooper. You find a hand-up and bring someone with you.

In the months after his first book was published, Cooper received a lot of requests to speak to youth about his life growing up on the West Side of Chicago, his struggles, and his many accomplishments. He was poor, bullied, and belittled, but he knew that if he could escape those things, he would succeed. He focused on doing what was best, and right. He looked for mentors and strove to understand when opportunities presented themselves.

Still, his early life left him with trauma. Here, he shows how it’s overcome-able.

We must always have hope, Cooper says, but hope is “merely the catalyst for action. The hope we receive must transform into the hope we give.”

Learn to tell your own story, as honestly as you know it. Be open to suggestions, and don’t dismiss them without great thought. Know that masculinity doesn’t equal stoicism; we are hard-wired to need other people, and sharing “pain and relatability can dissipate shame and foster empathy in powerful ways.”

Remember that trauma is intergenerational, and it can be passed down from parent to child. Let your mentors see your potential. Get therapy, if you need it; there’s no shame in it, and it will help, if you learn to trust it. Enjoy the outdoors when you can. Learn self-control. Give back to your community. Respect your financial wellness. Embrace your intelligence. Pick your friends and relationships wisely. “Do it afraid.”

And finally, remember that “You were born to soar to great heights and rule the sky.”

You just needed someone to tell you that.

With a willingness to discuss the struggles he tackled in the past, Cooper writes with a solidly honest voice that’s exceptionally believable, and not one bit dramatic. You won’t find unnecessarily embellished stories or tall tales here, either; Cooper instead uses his real experiences to help readers understand that there are few things that are truly insurmountable. He then explains how one’s past can shape one’s future, and how today’s actions can change the future of the world.

“Let Me Be Real With You” is full of motivation, and instruction that’s do-able for adults and teens. If you need that, or if you’ve vowed to do better this coming year, it might help make you whole.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Bling It On: Holiday Lights Brighten Dark Nights All Around the Bay

On the block where I grew up in the 1960s, it was an unwritten agreement among the owners of those row homes to put up holiday lights: around the front window and door, along the porch banister, etc. Some put the Christmas tree in the window, and you could see it through the open slats of the blinds.

Published

4 weeks ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

Christmas lights on a house near the writer’s residence in Oakland. Photo by Joseph Shangosola.

By Wanda Ravernell

I have always liked Christmas lights.

From my desk at my front window, I feel a quiet joy when the lights on the house across the street come on just as night falls.

My father, the renegade of the block, made no effort with lights, so my mother hung a wreath with two bells in the window. Just enough to let you know someone was at home.

Two doors down was a different story. Mr. King, the overachiever of the block, went all out for Christmas: The tree in the window, the lights along the roof and a Santa on his sleigh on the porch roof.

There are a few ‘Mr. Kings’ in my neighborhood.

In particular is the gentleman down the street. For Halloween, they erected a 10-foot skeleton in the yard, placed ‘shrunken heads’ on fence poles, pumpkins on steps and swooping bat wings from the porch roof. They have not held back for Christmas.

The skeleton stayed up this year, this time swathed in lights, as is every other inch of the house front. It is a light show that rivals the one in the old Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia.

I would hate to see their light bill…

As the shortest day of the year approaches, make Mr. King’s spirit happy and get out and see the lights in your own neighborhood, shopping plazas and merchant areas.

Here are some places recommended by 510 Families and Johnny FunCheap.

Oakland

Oakland’s Temple Hill Holiday Lights and Gardens is the place to go for a drive-by or a leisurely stroll for a religious holiday experience. Wear a jacket, because it’s chilly outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 4220 Lincoln Ave., particularly after dark. The gardens are open all day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the lights on from dusk until closing.

Alameda

Just across the High Street Bridge from Oakland, you’ll find Christmas Tree Lane in Alameda.

On Thompson Avenue between High Street and Fernside drive, displays range from classic trees and blow-ups to a comedic response to the film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Lights turn on at dusk and can be seen through the first week in January.

Berkeley

The Fourth Street business district from University Avenue to Virginia Street in Berkeley comes alive with lights beginning at 5 p.m. through Jan. 1, 2026.

There’s also a display at one house at 928 Arlington St., and, for children, the Tilden Park Carousel Winter Wonderland runs through Jan. 4, 2026. Closed Christmas Day. For more information and tickets, call (510) 559-1004.

Richmond

The Sundar Shadi Holiday Display, featuring a recreation of the town of Bethlehem with life-size figures, is open through Dec. 26 at 7501 Moeser Lane in El Cerrito.

Marin County

In Marin, the go-to spot for ‘oohs and ahhs’ is the Holiday Light Spectacular from 4-9 p.m. through Jan. 4, 2026, at Marin Center Fairgrounds at 10 Ave of the Flags in San Rafael through Jan. 4. Displays dazzle, with lighted walkways and activities almost daily. For more info, go to: www.marincounty.gov/departments/cultural-services/department-sponsored-events/holiday-light-spectacular

The arches at Marin County Civic Center at 3501 Civic Center Dr. will also be illuminated nightly.

San Francisco

Look for light installations in Golden Gate Park, chocolate and cheer at Ghirardelli Square, and downtown, the ice rink in Union Square and the holiday tree in Civic Center Plaza are enchanting spots day and night. For neighborhoods, you can’t beat the streets in Noe Valley, Pacific Heights, and Bernal Heights. For glee and over-the-top glitz there’s the Castro, particularly at 68 Castro Street.

Livermore

The winner of the 2024 Great Light Flight award, Deacon Dave has set up his display with a group of creative volunteers at 352 Hillcrest Avenue since 1982. See it through Jan. 1, 2026. For more info, go to https://www.casadelpomba.com

Fremont

Crippsmas Place is a community of over 90 decorated homes with candy canes passed out nightly through Dec. 31. A tradition since 1967, the event features visits by Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Dec. 18 and Dec. 23 and entertainment by the Tri-M Honor Society at 6 p.m. on Dec. 22. Chrippsmas Place is located on: Cripps Place, Asquith Place, Nicolet Court, Wellington Place, Perkins Street, and the stretch of Nicolet Avenue between Gibraltar Drive and Perkins Street.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Mandala: A New Event and Point of Beauty

Led by Oakland resident Mandisa Snodey, a group of artists conceived and painted the mandala on Linden street near McClymonds High School as part of a Black Friday event the day after Thanksgiving to support Black-owned businesses.

Published

4 weeks ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Painters put on the finishing touches of the Oakland Mandala on Nov. 28. Photo courtesy Mandisa Snodey.

By Post Staff

The first annual Oakland Mandala, sponsored by Miges Odanes Village Center, Credo Studio, and the Mandala Medicine Movement is on view now until the winter rains wash it away.

“This is a lineage-based community art project, using temporary paint, aimed at community building, neighborhood beautification, and celebration of the arts and all people’s creativity,” Snodey said. “The theme of this year’s mandala was ‘Unified Humanity.’

“We gathered at 7 a.m. on Friday for the Black Friday Block Party and finished painting close to sunset. Our youngest painter was 2 years old and our eldest close to 70 years young: we had families, community members, professional artists, and people who have never painted before all working together.”

Snodey urges residents to come visit and take a picture with the mandala. It’s located between 28th and 30th on Linden Street in West Oakland. If you post on social media, please use the hashtags “#oaklandmandala” and “#mandalamedicinemovement.”

Snodey extends special thanks to the Bay Area Mural Program (BAMP), Few and Far Women, “and other Bay Area Artists who participated and made this first annual mandala a beautiful success.”