What to Know
- A sizable ofrenda is on view at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge
- Visitors are invited to visit through Nov. 2; you are invited to leave a loved one's photo, too, if you like
- Included with garden admission
Saunter through "Carved," the October-illuminated extravaganza at Descanso Gardens, and you may find yourself drawn to a colorful display.
The bright hues that catch your eye won't come from pumpkins, though pumpkins are plentiful during the multi-week event; rather, it is papel picado, the fluttering ornamentation found around so many Día de los Muertos altars.
And there is plenty of fanciful flutter in the breeze as the time-honored festivities begin, the one that pay tender tribute to our loved ones who have passed.
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"Carved" may have shuttered for another season at the La Cañada Flintridge destination, but the large-scale ofrenda remains on view through Thursday, Nov. 2.
Visiting this exquisite space is included with your garden admission.
But the effervescent experience isn't simply about viewing the beautiful presentation, marigolds, cut-outs of Monarch butterflies, and a few festive skeletons: You are invited to place a photo of a dearly missed friend or relative on the altar or leave a drawing if you don't have a picture you can part with.
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Viewing the heartfelt images and messages others have left provides visitors with several moving moments, reminders that this world and the next stand hand-in-hand as the ethereal eleventh month begins.
If you're seeking illumination of a different holiday-themed variety, stay tuned: "Enchanted Forest of Light" opens at Descanso Gardens in just over two weeks. A series of sparkly artworks, some quite enormous, will dot the moonlit pathways of the sylvan spot over several fall and winter weeks.
