FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Every year in November many people celebrate Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead.
The tradition dates back over 3,000 years and can be traced to the Aztecs and other Indigenous groups.
“It’s a celebration of the dead. We celebrate our family members who have passed on. It’s a date that, of course, we remember them every day, but on this special day, we put a special tribute for them, and we put out their favorite foods, their favorite snacks. We have a little altar, we put their flowers, and it’s just a remembrance day for our family members who have passed,” said Leslie Rivera, who celebrates every year.
Creating an ofrenda or an altar dedicated to their loved ones is a main part of the celebration, and on it, people must have Cempasúchil’ or Marigolds.
Rogelio Sierra has been growing marigolds for the last eight years. At first, he started growing them in his backyard but now he grows them on 2 acres of land.
“We started with only about 300 marigolds and last year we grew 60,000 and this year 70,000 and we hope to keep on growing from here,” said Sierra.
On Día de Muertos, the scent of the bright yellow and orange flowers is believed to guide the spirits of those who have passed back home.
It’s a special scent for many people.
“The scent of the Marigold flower is very strong and it smells like honey,” said Sierra.
Every day Sierra and his employees start picking the Marigolds around 7 a.m. and continue well into the afternoon.
“We start to plant them in August, and it takes about two and half months to grow them, and we know they are going to be ready by the Day of the Dead when they start to bloom in the first week of October,” said Sierra.
First, Sierra says meeting the needs of the community is the most important, then he also supplies the Marigolds to Los Angeles and even Oregon.
It’s hard to drive by and not stop to look at the beautiful field on Brawley Avenue, and those who choose to stop can take pictures, pick their own marigolds, and remember their loved ones.
“So I stopped today just to pick up some flowers in remembrance of my grandparents. My grandma passed away this last April, so these are mostly for her, but also my grandpa,” said Jakob Brueggemann, who left with two bouquets.
After years of hard work, Sierra opened up his flower shop in 2017 called Prestigio Flowers. Every day, people can stop by and pick up and arrangements.
“We have Casablancas, we have Daylilies, Roses, Iris, we have beautiful Eucalyptus, and anything that we do here is guaranteed,” said Victoria Borges, who works at Prestigio Flowers as the Floral Designer.
For this family-run local business, the hard work leading up to Día de Muertos is worth it.
“It is a little bit of hard work but we enjoy picking these flowers and seeing the smiles on the faces of our customers,” said Sierra. “It feels good that we are able to play a part in people’s homes and present these flowers to them.”
Sierra says they will be selling Marigold bundles starting at $5 until Sunday, but anyone can stop by Prestigio Flowers all year long Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. located at 4672 N Blackstone Ave., in Fresno.
