How do you celebrate the Day of the Dead in Portland, Oregon? Classique’s favorite is a collaboration with Milagro, the premier Latino arts and culture center of the Pacific Northwest.
For the third year, Classique has participated in the celebration with a Día de los Muertos altar that is included as a stop in the bike tour.
>> To see the 2022 altar, see Classique in the Central Eastside District Community
Milagro and el Día de los Muertos
Milagro has provided extraordinary Latino theatre, culture, and arts education for the enrichment of all communities since 1985.
Every year Milagro observes Día de los Muertos with the premiere of a new production, altar display, and community events through the Central Eastside Muertos Celebration.
Día de los Muertos is a long-honored tradition with roots in Indigenous Mexican culture. It is observed annually in Mexican and other Latinoamerican cultures on November 2nd as a day of remembrance of those who have passed. Individuals and families who honor this day set up ofrendas (altars) with offerings to their departed loved ones.
Typical offerings include marigolds, calaveras, photos of the dead, and traditional food like pan de muerto.
2023 Day of the Dead Bike Ride and Altar Tour
Since 2020, the Milagros Day of the Dead celebration has included a month-long celebration and a bike ride/altar tour in the Central Eastside District that starts at Milagro.
The 2023 bike and altar tour took place on October 28th from 1 PM to 4 PM with the following altar participants:
- Miller Paint
- Classique Floors
- Columbia Credit Union
- Cargo
Each business featured an altar designed and created by artists from the IDEAL PDX Latino Arts Collective under the direction of Jessica Lagunas.
The Street Trust hosted this year’s bike tour, a 2.5-mile family-friendly route visiting the altars at local businesses along the Green Loop. Here’s the tour map.
Classique’s Day of the Dead Altar
In case you missed the altar tour, here is Classique’s altar with closeups of some of the wonderful details, starting with a photo of the full Day of the Dead altar at Classique Floors + Tile.
Notice the bouquets of marigold flowers and more marigolds in garlands and distributed throughout the offerings. The bright orange ties the entire altar together.
The closeup below with the calaveras (skeletons and human skulls) features Monarch butterflies, candles and flowers.
And, getting even closer, look at the skeleton’s beautiful floral headdress, and the clothing – custom-made.
In this next closeup, you see a couple dressed in full festive gear. The details are truly delightful! Notice the eyes, and the mustache.
The fireplace installation in the Classique Showroom makes for an ideal altar centerpiece. Here, you’ll find all sorts of offerings, from pan de muerto, to spices and grains.
Given Classique’s interest in tile and tile installations, you’ll find calavera tile installers at work.
Notice the marigolds and other flowers as well as the Monarch butterflies. And, at the bottom of the altar more skulls and a magnificent seed, bean, and grain collage forming the Classique logo.
In this closeup of one of the skeleton tile installers, you can tell this is a professional!
Special thanks to Marbellous Crafts By Marybelle Olea for this year’s stunning Day of the Dead altar!
From the Day of the Dead Bike Tour!
As you can see from the image below, riders often come in costume.
Here’s some live footage from inside the showroom.
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And their bikes also get into the spirit of the celebration!
How Have You Celebrated the Day of the Dead?
We’d love to hear!
We also invite you to tour the showroom anytime. The Classique team looks forward to welcoming you and answering your questions so you can find the perfect product – whether it be tile, waterproof flooring, hardwood, carpet, cork, or countertops – for your home or simply a dose of design creativity and inspiration.
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Thanks for reading!