El Patron hosts Dia de los Muertos altars Friday night

by Timothy Rutt 

The Latin holiday Dia de los Muertos, coming during the Halloween/All Souls' Day period, is a time to honor the dead.  On Friday night, El Patron Mexican Restaurant, 2555 N. Lake Avenue, will host three traditional altars outside the restaurant.

The power behind it is Stephanie Pinto, whose company Calacachica (Skull Girl) makes traditional sugar skulls for crafting and teaches local schools how to build Dia de los Muertos altars.  Pinto has been doing this for three years, and recently brought her creations to the Altadena Farmers' Market.

 

Calacachica's Stephanie Pinto will supervise the installation of three Dia de los Muertos altars at El Patron Mexican Restaurant Friday night.

Pinto says that there will be three altars at El Patron:  one will be an artistic installation for display, but the other two are open to the community -- one commemorates the dead, and the other commemorates deceased pets.

 

Pinto says community members are welcome to bring to the altar copies of pictures of those humans and animals they want to remember -- but do not bring originals, as they will not be returned. 

The altars will be open from 8-10 PM.