If youve driven along Los Osos Valley Road recently, you may have noticed fields full of colorful flowers.
I was raised with plants; I love it!,” said Josefina Juarez, a flower harvester. “Im a fan of the marigold!
For Juarez and Maria Jijon, these rows of orange along Los Osos Valley Road connect them to their roots in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Now were harvesting the flower. Well, in October, everyone wants to make an altar,” Jijon said.
The flowers are part of a tradition called Da de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, that celebrates and remembers the lives of loved ones who have passed away.
Since I was little, I would see my grandparents, my parents… in this month they would do this, so weve always had this in us,” Jijon said. “Its a tradition in this month to make our altar.
We dont want to lose the tradition. We want the tradition to continue with the new generation, and we want our culture to be known, for our culture to not be lost, Juarez said.
They say they germinate the seeds in July and begin planting in August in order to have a bright and full field by October.
Juarez says they started growing marigolds in Los Osos after the pandemic, when the property owner allowed them to plant and harvest on the land.
Well help them cultivate land, prepare it and bring them what they need, but basically theyre the ones that produce the flowers all on their own, said Paco Varela, farm owner.
Now, the flowers are giving people like Claudia Olsen a piece of home here on the Central Coast.
It was really hard,” Olsen said. “Very hard for me to see all the pictures, the phone calls, hearing my family enjoying going to the cemetery.
Olsen said shes been buying marigolds from the farm for the past few years so she can set up her own Day of the Dead altar.
Just makes me feel that we have a little piece of Mexico here,” Olsen said. “Im so grateful for these families, the farmers for their hard work, especially during these times.”
Day of the Dead is celebrated November 1-2.