Our days are shorter, the nights are longer, and after a long, hot summer, cooler weather is here. October has arrived, bringing with it dozens of national days, observations, and holidays.

 

While October is best known for Halloween,  it’s also a month loaded with national and global celebrations. October’s schedule includes multiple days on the topic of bullying awareness while recognizing earth science, chemistry, and space. Plus, the Hindu festival of lights, and religious holidays Yom Kippur and Sukkot sometimes fall during this month.

 

Food is widely acknowledged during October as it is the month for the celebration of national pasta, pizza, pork, seafood, popcorn, tacos, and chocolate. Health too is acknowledged during the month, with chiropractic, dental hygiene, orthodontic health, physical therapy, breast cancer, and SIDS awareness all being recognized. Even mothers-in-law are honored on the fourth Sunday of the month.

 

Another October holiday that is growing in popularity in Southern California is Dia de Las Muertos. Its roots and traditions date back centuries, and we invite you to join us for our live virtual celebration of this colorful and memorable ceremony on our Facebook page on Sunday, Oct. 31 at noon. While Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated on November 2, Forest Lawn hosts its event on the Sunday before. This year it happens to be  Halloween, so we’re starting the event at noon so that kids can go out trick or treating that evening. It will make for a full day of fun!

 

Lastly, because October is the gateway to some of the year’s biggest holidays such as Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day, it can be a difficult time for those who are grieving the loss of someone. To help make the holidays easier while still remembering your loved one, Forest Lawn will host its annual Making It Through the Holidays seminars at all locations in October, with a virtual seminar taking place on Facebook live on Oct. 27. For a list of dates and times, please visit https://forestlawn.com/grief-resources .