Happy Dia de los Muertos! I hope you are celebrating the lives of your loved ones today.

We are in Kentucky right now, but we went to a Dia de los Muertos festival in Oceanside last weekend. It was extremely crowded, but really interesting. Plus, we got to explore the gorgeous San Luis Rey mission, which was founded in 1798.

 

 

They have a beautiful garden/courtyard area with tons of roses and other flowers, and there were several different altars set up for the holiday.

 

There was also a stage for traditional dances. We weren’t really sure what was going on, but it was cool to watch.

 

A classic car club had memorials set up in the trunks of cars. You can tell what the people liked during their lifetime by the items that were included — such as the Cowboys paraphernalia and the foods.

 

A Wall Street Journal reporter named Miriam Jordan actually did a story about how Dia de los Muertos is gaining popularity among people who are not from Mexico, and one of the people she talked to was a woman who set up an altar for her Irish-American father in one of the trunks.

 

Toby and I didn’t dress up and get our faces painted, but we did try to wear some skulls in  honor of the holiday.

Next year, we want to go to the Dia de los Muertos celebration in Old Town San Diego. But I would definitely recommend the Oceanside festival, too — just be prepared for hundreds (if not thousands) of people.

 

My outfit: Jacket: LOFT (old, similar here and here), T-shirt: J.Crew (on sale!), Bag: J.Crew, Jeans: Madewell (old, very similar), Shoes: Sperry (old, similar here and here), Earrings: Vintage Religion.

(Toby’s shirt is from Ralph Lauren Rugby, which is sadly no longer open. His jeans are Lucky Brand, his hat is from a random store on Catalina Island and his sunglasses are Ray-ban)