LOAVES RISE IN SPIRIT OF THE DAY BREAD FLIES OFF SHELVES IN PREPARATION FOR DEAD.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer

CANOGA PARK -- On the Day of the Dead, bread is food for the soul.

In grocery stores and pastry shops, on altars and dinner tables, baked sweetened loaves in macabre shapes help to define an ancient ritual celebrated in almost every corner of Los Angeles.

It is the bread of the dead, el pan de muerto, a tradition, many say, that refuses to die.

``In Vera Cruz, we bake these breads as we remember the dead, especially the babies that have died so young that they are not yet named,'' said Miguel Vasquez, a baker for the pastry shop La Espiga de Oro in Canoga Park.

Vasquez has rolled and shaped dough for days to catch up with the demand for the sweetened breads that help define Dia de los Muertos, the annual Day of the Dead, when altars to the dearly departed are erected in homes or community centers, and where sugar is shaped into small skulls while toy skeletons decked out in costumes dangle from walls.

The holiday is observed over two days. Nov. 1, today, is devoted to the rembrance of dead infants and children. Nov. 2, Thursday, emphasizes adults.

``The baby's souls are in limbo, as are those who committed suicide, or were murdered,'' he said. ``Every town and city does it differently.''

But some believe the celebration isn't quite complete without pan de muerto.

Vasquez estimates he bakes 200 hand-sized loaves a day, shaped either in the form of a spirit dusted with sugar, or a skull and cross bones decorated with pink sprinkles. Already, more than 1,000 have been sold. It is the same in bakeries far and wide.

``Each year, we sell more,'' said Alejandra Reyna, a manager for El Gallo Bakery in East Los Angeles. On Thursday, the bakery will sponsor an altar, or ofrenda, and the bakery expects to sell a lot of bread. ``According to the tradition, people put out bread, water, and mole, but the bread and water are most important,'' she said. ``They represent life.''

The tradition of Dia de los Muertos is believed to have begun in pre-Colombian Mexico. It continued as traditions blended with Catholic rituals brought by the Spaniards. The celebration is based on the belief that the souls of dead relatives return each year to visit and be entertained by their living relatives.

Each year,ofrendas are erected in homes and at cemeteries, decorated with food and items once enjoyed by the deceased. Gold marigolds, symbols of the dead, line walkways and encircle offerings.

``With the migration into Southern California, (Dia de los Muertos) has changed into more of an art and music festival,'' said Stuart Vaughan, director for the Canoga Park Youth Center, which will hold a related event on Saturday night. ``I think it's a nice alternative to Halloween. The intent of this holiday is not to scare you. It's a celebration.''

At Jasmine's Bakery in Newhall, owner Juan Bernabe said bread will fly off the shelves today. ``Nowadays, in the United States, it's not so much about placing the bread on an altar for the dead. It's about people just wanting to have the bread for themselves.''

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

IF YOU GO

Canoga Park will host its sixth annual Dia de los Muertos celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday on Sherman Way between Canoga and Jordan avenues. For information, call [phone] or see www.mainstreetcanogapark.org/dia2k6.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2) Baker Miguel Vasquez of La Espiga de Oro Bakery in Canoga Park makes pastries, below, and a traditional dessert, right, for the Day of the Dead celebrations.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)