Celebrating Día de los Muertos at Mt. Scott Park
From October 27 through November 2, there will be an ofrenda (altar) installation at Mt. Scott Park. It was created by community group Warpaint, in partnership with the City of Portland employee resource group Latinx PDX. This installation is open to the public until it is removed on November 3. Communities celebrating Día de los Muertos are encouraged to stop by Mt. Scott Park this week to visit and interact with this community ofrenda.
Join us on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2 to remember and celebrate the lives of our dearly departed. There will be free face painting on both days from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. On November 2, there will be an opportunity to give Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) input on a garden bed that is being expanded to support future Día de los Muertos celebrations. PP&R will also have free, native plant posters available in English and Spanish and illustrated nature guides about local pollinators.
2024-25 Project: Planting a garden for Día de los Muertos
PP&R is expanding an existing garden bed in the park to serve as a community resource for future Día de los Muertos observances and celebrations.
In partnership with Latinx PDX we are completing the first phase of this project, preparing the space for new plants. In addition to planting cempasúchil, we are seeking feedback on other culturally significant plants that the community would like to be installed in the garden.
Cempasúchil (tagetes erecta), also known as the Mexican marigold, flor de muerto, and cempaxochitl, is an annual flower native to Mexico and Central America. The inclusion of the flower in Día de los Muertos ceremonies is pre-colonial. The name, "cempasúchil" is derived from the Nahuatl word, "cempohualxochitl," meaning "twenty flower".
There will be upcoming opportunities to plant, harvest, and tend to this garden space!
If you have additional questions about this project, please contact East Developed Parks Coordinator, Kimberléa Ruffu at Kimberlea.Ruffu@PortlandOregon.gov.
What is an annual flower?
Unlike a perennial flower which lives more than two years, annual flowers complete their entire life cycle in one year. Most marigolds are annual, so we will need volunteers to help us replant cempasúchil flowers every spring at this garden!
Proyecto 2024-2025: Plantación de un jardín para el Día de los Muertos
PP&R está ampliando un jardín actual en el parque para que sirva de recurso comunitario para futuras celebraciones del Día de los Muertos.
Además de plantar cempasúchil, estamos recabando opiniones sobre qué otras plantas de importancia cultural le gustaría que se plantaran en el jardín.
Las cempasúchil (tagetes erecta), también conocidas como caléndulas mexicanas, flores de los muertos y cempaxochitl, son flores anuales originarias de México y Centroamérica. La inclusión de la flor en las ceremonias del Día de los Muertos tiene sus raíces en la época precolonial. El nombre, “cempasúchil” deriva de la palabra náhuatl “cempohualxochitl”, que significa “veinte flores”.
¡Próximamente habrá oportunidades para plantar, recolectar y cuidar este jardín! Compártanos sus comentarios e inscríbase para saber más sobre este proyecto.
Si tiene más preguntas sobre este proyecto, comuníquese con el coordinador de Parques Urbanizados del Este, Kimberléa Ruffu a través de Kimberlea.Ruffu@PortlandOregon.gov.
¿Qué es una flor anual?
A diferencia de una flor perenne que vive más de dos años, las flores anuales completan todo su ciclo vital en un año. La mayoría de las caléndulas son anuales, por lo que necesitaremos voluntarios que nos ayuden a volver a plantar flores de cempasúchil cada primavera en este jardín.
Mt. Scott Park Native Plant and Pollinator Patch Project
In March 2024, PP&R collaborated with community members to install 400 native and pollinator-friendly plants in Mt. Scott Park. This mini project, which was completed earlier this month, will increase the biodiversity of the park and attract pollinators such as birds, bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects.
When you visit the park, please be aware of these new plantings, and keep dogs leashed at all times.
What is "biodiversity"?
Biodiversity is a scientific term that simply refers to the many different types of living things in an environment, including people, plants, wildlife, fungi, and more. Typically, the more biodiversity you have, the healthier and more resilient you and your environment are!
This park is named for Harvey W. Scott, the former editor of The Oregonian newspaper in the late 1800s/early 1900s, and brother of Abigail Scott Duniway for whom Duniway Park was named.