After crossing the border, Mexican immigrants carry their traditions and bring the memories of their deceased loved ones.

    And the Day of the Dead is one of the most important holidays for immigrants, it is a way to keep alive their Mexican roots.

    In San Diego County the day of all souls can be seen in every corner where Mexican immigrants live: In Sherman Heights and Barrio Logan people put altars in the porches of their houses; in San Ysidro they celebrate the memory of those who already passed away with mariachi music; in North County, the Oaxacan community lights candles commemorating the ancient pre-Columbian rites.

    Three of the most important elements in the tradition of Día de los Muertos are the cemeteries, marigold flowers (flor de cempasúchil), and pan de muerto. These elements are linked to the professions of three Mexican immigrants.

    Alfonso Gabriel, a 53-year Oaxacan immigrant, the Day of the Dead is filled with the vivid orange and yellow of the marigold that he plants with his wife in a small field he rents in the area of Carlsbad.

    “Raza are the ones who come to buy marigold,” said Gabriel, who has been planting flowers in Carlsbad for eight years, although in Oaxaca that was also his business.

    Each bunch of marigolds costs between $1.25 and $2, and this year he expects to sell about 2,000 bunches, as the economy has affected sales.

    Felipe Mauleon, a baker in Vista, said the pan de muerto is very popular at this time. The smell of orange and butter used in breads, sold for $2.49 to $5, fill the supermarket.

   “We work day and night making bread, because a lot of Latino people buy it,” said the native of Morelos.

   For Eduardo Barreras, in a way every day is He is dedicated to creating the tombstones to decorate the graves in cemeteries in San Diego and Tijuana.

   But a few weeks before the Day of the Dead, the work picks up, said the 45-year-old from Tijuana.

   “People make sure that the tomb of their loved one looks better with a well done tombstone.”

   Among the most important events of Day of the Dead is a mariachi concert sponsored by the San Diego Symphony to pay tribute to the great voices of Mexican music on the Day of the Dead is more popular every year.

   The third edition of Day of the Dead: A Winter Pops Special Concert, which is sponsored by the symphony but its musicians will not be participating, will be on Monday, November 1 at 7:30 pm at Copley Symphony Hall. In previous editions more than 2,000 people have attended each event.

   “Our Day of the Dead concert has definitely become a tradition in San Diego,” said Jeff Nevin, director and founder of Mariachi Champaña Nevín, which plays a central role in the concert.

   The concert pays tribute to the voices of Pedro Infante, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Lola Beltran, among other Mexican singers and songwriters.

   Besides playing the biggest hits of these singers, the concert will include traditional dances of Day of the Dead, and The Dance of the arches and the waltz of La Llorona, performed by the Ballet Folklorico Flores del Desierto.

   This year also will be playing music to commemorate the Bicentennial of Independence and the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution.

   “This concert of Day of the Dead is both a celebration and commemoration,” said Stephen Kougias, spokesman for the symphony. “It’s also a fun opportunity for the community to enjoy Mexican music on this side of the border.”