Tag: skeletons

Día de los Muertos celebration in Sherman Heights.

Día de los Muertos at the Sherman Heights Community Center has become one of the most anticipated Day of the Dead celebrations in San Diego. In 2024 the week-long event turned thirty years old.

The many traditional altars inside the community center, erected by local families and organizations, remember loved one who are deceased. All around the center a joyful festival is enjoyed by families who engage in activities that celebrate life, past and present.

Walking the short distance from downtown to Sherman Heights, I arrived at the event yesterday.

I was fortunate to join a group that was touring the Día de los Muertos altars (ofrendas in Spanish). Daniel was explaining to several people (including folks from Germany) how these altars originated in Pre-Columbian times and evolved to include Catholic elements when Spain entered the American continent. Most of the altars include symbols of the four elements defined in ancient times: earth, water, fire and air.

In Mexican ofrendas today, earth is still represented by marigolds and offerings of food, water by drink, fire by candles, and air by papel picado, which flutters in a breeze.

Daniel explained that because Day of the Dead has universal themes–family, human mortality, the circle of life and love–and because of commercialization and the influence of popular culture, the holiday is spreading worldwide. He noted that other cultures have inserted their own special symbolism into Day of the Dead celebrations.

I took photographs of the many altars. Most were extremely elaborate.

So many loved ones that have passed on–but who live still in memory…

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An insane Halloween display in San Diego!

This front yard Halloween display has no equal in San Diego!

A wonderfully insane scene erected beside a sidewalk greets those passing through Serra Mesa. If you’ve driven down Murray Ridge Road, you’ve probably seen it.

This particular front yard has a history of immense displays that are jammed full of characters. The hand made figures are grimly humorous and madly inventive. The popular culture is often referenced, the San Diego Padres are rooted on, and our military is saluted. There’s politics mixed in too with a good helping of sarcasm.

Seeing all the bloody mayhem, one might develop goosebumps, or cringe, or laugh!

I’ve briefly spotted these crazy displays in years past. Because Halloween is approaching, I wanted a close look.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Old Town gets ready for Día de Los Muertos.

Día de Los Muertos is about a month away, but Old Town San Diego is already preparing for the big event!

For 2024, Día de Los Muertos will be as big as ever, spilling from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park down San Diego Avenue. For three days the public is invited to the free celebration!

On Friday, November 1, there will be a fun family screening of The Book of Life. The movie will be shown in the grassy plaza at the center of Old Town State Park.

That Saturday and Sunday, the Día de Los Muertos Festival will take over Old Town. In addition to entertainment, there will be tours of more than 40 unique Day of the Dead altars, and anyone can join the annual candlelit procession from Immaculate Conception Church down San Diego Avenue to El Campo Santo Cemetery.

Learn more about everything here.

During a morning walk today, I saw a beautiful altar set up already at Casa de Freds restaurant, and one being prepared in the park next to the Whaley House Museum. Many fancy Catrinas are already set up at Fiesta de Reyes. Calaveras, marigolds and sugar skulls are appearing all over!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Two happy skeletons party in Barrio Logan!

A happy skeleton couple (and their dog) have been partying day and night on a street corner in Barrio Logan. Perhaps you’ve seen them, drinks in hand, having a good time, on the side of a building at Logan Avenue and Sampson Street!

I spied this mural for the first time a few days ago during a Barrio Logan walk. According to the spray painted signature, the mural was designed by Diego Romo and painted by Dent Angeles (@dentloktattooarts) earlier this year.

Enjoy these photographs!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Old Town’s Día de los Muertos before the procession!

A crowd of thousands gathered this evening in Old Town San Diego for the annual Día de los Muertos procession.

The candlelight procession would begin around sundown in front of the Immaculate Conception Church and move slowly down San Diego Avenue to the historic El Campo Santo cemetery.

I walked from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park to the cemetery and back again as people were still gathering for this very popular event.

What did my camera find?

Face painting at many stations, as living faces were decorated to look like colorful sugar skulls. And beautiful chalk art in the State Park left over from last weekend’s Day of the Dead event. And many costumes, elegant Catrinas and walking skeletons.

An altar was set up in the El Campo Santo cemetery, and there was the old wall and a special board where people could draw hearts and write messages for deceased loved ones. The graves were joyfully decorated, too.

As I returned toward the State Park, people had already begun to line San Diego Avenue to view the coming procession. But it was rapidly becoming too dark for my camera. So this series of photographs ends with a smile at Fiesta de Reyes in the State Park.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Calaveras painted for Kalaveras in Chula Vista!

Day of the Dead begins today, the 1st of November. This is the perfect time to share these photographs!

A new restaurant named Kalaveras is coming to 340 Third Avenue in Chula Vista. The building it will occupy has been painted with super colorful skulls, or calaveras!

I happened to notice this bold new artwork while walking to the community Day of the Dead event in Chula Vista last weekend.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Skeleton in window of The Brain Observatory!

The Brain Observatory in downtown San Diego appears to be an intriguing place. It’s been open for a year or so, if memory serves. It’s located in the space that the SDSU Downtown Gallery once called home.

According to their website, The Brain Observatory is not only a research institute with state-of-the-art scientific equipment, but students and visitors can examine a large collection of donated human brains.

There is also an art gallery at The Brain Observatory. Check out a fascinating exhibition featuring six artists here.

As I walked down the sidewalk past The Brain Observatory early this morning, I noticed a skeleton sitting inside one window holding a brain.

Does the skeleton intend to place the brain into its own skull?

Or is this simply a bit of fun for Halloween?

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Chula Vista’s colorful Día de los Muertos!

A big, colorful Día de los Muertos Celebration was held today in downtown Chula Vista!

The event stretched along Third Avenue, with a variety of activations set up along several blocks, but the center of activity was Memorial Park, where I took these photographs.

In addition to many traditional Day of the Dead altars, there were quite a few people dressed for the occasion. Catrinas moved through the crowd, wearing elegant dresses, their faces painted elaborately like sugar skulls.

A large audience gathered for entertainment on the Papel Picado Stage. A group of mariachis smiled for my camera. Between towering skeletons, baile folklórico dancers swirled!

It was very cool how students of Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School helped to create their own special display. They paid tribute to people who’ve worked to make this world a better place.

What a wonderful family event for the Chula Vista community.

I hope you enjoy these photographs…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Signs of Halloween’s approach in San Diego!

Spider webs, skeletons, monsters, pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns!

Signs have popped up around San Diego indicating Halloween is around the corner!

I took these photos during a very long walk today. I wandered through downtown, Little Italy, Old Town and Bay Park…

A community pumpkin patch in Waterfront Park is readied by Parks and Recreation.

An ornate ceramic jack-o’-lantern in Old Town San Diego.

Sign promotes special event in Little Italy: Trick or Treat on India Street!

These horrific creatures appear a bit sleepy. I spotted them inside a window of the San Diego Visitor Information Center near Broadway Pier.

Yes! Halloween lights are right here. Get your black lights, fog machines and mirror balls!

Will the firefighters at Bayside Fire Station No. 2 use their ladder to save this dangling skeleton?

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Setting up the colorful Catrinas of Old Town!

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is already getting ready for Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. Today I noticed that bigger than life Catrinas in beautiful dresses were being set up on barrels outside Fiesta de Reyes and Barra Barra!

I watched as a Catrina’s calavera (sugar skull) was removed from one figure, then attached to a second. Need to match those colors!

I was told that for Día de los Muertos, there will be a total of 51 Catrinas and skeletons set up at Fiesta de Reyes and Barra Barra!

I was also told that the celebration of Día de los Muertos in Old Town this year will be bigger and better than ever! The State of California’s Arts in Parks program is inviting local artists, culture bearers, chalk artists, piñata artists, traditional craftsmen and musicians to play a role!

I can’t wait to go! It’s a little over a month away. Meanwhile, lots of very fancy Catrinas will be greeting visitors to Old Town!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!