Viva la Vida 2025

Flores de la ofrenda

This year’s special section for Viva la Vida Fest will be Flores de la ofrenda (Flowers for the alter) which are important to Día de los Muertos celebrations because they symbolize the beauty, fragility, and cyclical nature of life and death. The vibrant Cempasúchil (marigold), with its sun-like petals, guides spirits back to their loved ones, while baby’s breath welcomes the souls of children with its delicate fragrance. The Terciopelo (cockscomb) offers comfort, the Chrysanthemum represents eternity, and the enduring Carnation serves as a fragrant path for the departed. These flowers are deeply rooted in Mexican tradition and transform altars and processions into living tributes, honoring the dead with color, scent, and reverence. This directly relates to the Mexic-Arte Fall 2025 exhibition En lo más negro del verano, which centers on a poem by Peruvian poet Blanca Varela. The exhibit will explore death, memory, and the cyclical nature of existence through 11 emerging artists whose work ranges from installation, painting, ceramics, and mixed media. Varela’s poem resonates deeply with the spirit of Día de los Muertos, as both embrace death not as an end, but as an intimate, ever-present part of life. Flowers on Día de los Muertos remind us that life and death are intertwined—a cycle to be celebrated, not feared.

Celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican Americans alike, as well as others in Latin America, Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead is an important religious and cultural event that synthesizes pre-Columbian traditions and Catholic Church practices. Originating in ancient Mexico, the annual celebration is increasingly observed in the United States as part of contemporary Latinx popular culture. Day of the Dead blends indigenous religious and cultural rituals with customs surrounding the Catholic holy days: 

• November 1: All Saints’ Day (prayers said to saints and martyrs)
• November 1: Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels, dedicated to souls of deceased children)
• November 2: All Souls’ Day (prayers and offerings made to deceased relatives and friends, especially for souls in Purgatory)

During this yearly event, cemeteries are cleaned. Home and public altars or ofrendas (offerings) are built to honor the dead, who they attract with food, drink, candles, incense, marigold flowers, and objects once favored in their lives.

Sponsor

We invite you to sponsor the 42nd annual Viva la Vida Parade and Festival, with all new sponsorship opportunities and benefits!

Volunteer

• Parade Volunteers: Help setup & carrying forth the parade (pushing parade props, etc.). Volunteers are ESSENTIAL to the parade’s beauty and success!
• Festival Volunteers: General festival duties including setting up and loading props, hanging up decorations, and any other help needed throughout the day.