Day of the Dead Festival

Festival del Dia de los Muertos

On November 1, 2011, the “Night of the Angels”, the Living Arts & Science Center will present the 6th annual Day of the Dead Festival with a participatory celebration at the Living Arts & Science Center as well as at the Old Episcopal Burying Ground at the corner of E. 3rd Street and Elm Tree Lane. This event is a fun, participatory experience for the entire family.

Join the celebration and experience the rich visual, musical, dance and culinary traditions of this holiday that is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Central and South America.

Traditional Mexican dance will be performed by men’s dance company, Matlachines, as well as Danza Azteca. Mexican singer and guitarist Jose Rivera will perform throughout the evening, and a variety of hands-on crafts, typical of Day of the Dead celebrations will take place indoors and out. These participatory activities include decorating Sugar Skulls, creating sand murals, making tissue paper flowers and papel picado (cut paper streamers) as well as making tin ornaments and decorating monarch butterfly wings to wear in the candlelight parade. Participants may keep their crafts to continue to enjoy at home.

Visitors may also view the colorful Alabrijes exhibit in the LASC art gallery which includes work by children and adults inspired by the Mexican folk art form first popularized by Pedro Linares, a Mexican artist in the 1930’s. And, thousands of Monarch butterflies, created by over 20 schools and community groups, have been installed on the fences of the Old Episcopal Burying Ground, as an introduction to this cultural holiday.

At dusk, musicians and dancers will lead participants in a beautiful candlelight parade from the LASC to the Old Episcopal Burying Ground at 3rd Street and Elm Tree Lane.

In the cemetery, participants may view an exciting exhibition of altars in and around the gravesites of this historic cemetery. Viewers may talk with artists, school groups and community members who have created both traditional altars as they would be presented in Mexican cemeteries as well as altar designs inspired by this joyful celebration. A community altar will also be presented, inviting individuals to place photos, mementos or names of their own loved ones, or participate in adding the flowers, candles and other traditional offerings. In the cemetery informal discussions will take place to educate participants about the altars, Day of the Dead, and the traditions and symbolism associated with this important Latin American holiday.

Traditional food from area restaurants and caterers will be available for purchase at the LASC. The LASC will also serve complimentary pan de muertos, the traditional bread of the dead.

ABOUT the DAY OF THE DEAD (Dia de los Muertos) holiday:

Día de Los Muertos is an ancient festival that can be traced back to the Aztec culture with November 1st and 2nd as the traditional days to celebrate. The First of November is known as “Night of the Angels,” and it is believed that on this day the spirits of infants and children are reunited with loved ones. It is also believed that on All Souls Day, November 2, deceased adults come back to visit their families. Depending on the region in Mexico, as well as the United States, the way Día de Los Muertos is celebrated varies. In urban areas, festivities tend to be more of a social event, while persons living in rural areas may place more of an emphasis on the religious/spiritual aspects of the holiday.

Significance of Monarch Butterflies to Day of the Dead

Every Autumn, millions of beautiful  orange and black monarchs flock to Mexico to avoid the cold weather of the North. Their migration coincides with El Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The Ancient Aztecs of central Mexico, believed that the monarch butterflies were the souls of their fallen warriors and that they should be honored. This was and still is a time of joyous celebration when the souls of loved ones are remembered and rejoiced. The words of exhibiting artists, Dr. Carol Freid and Ann Leader elegantly describe the monarch migration and Dia de los Muertos:

The delicate monarch represents the flight of the soul. A soul returning for one night to pass the evening with loved ones.   An ofrenda is an act of remembering. We are compelled to select from our memory an assortment of images, sounds, objects, words and delicacies that were once important to those we cherished in life who have died. We remember as an act of love and devotion. We construct an altar that embraces the richness of the lives that have touched our lives.

The notion of migration and immigration are intertwined in this installation. The portable altar (the suitcase ofrenda) is symbolic of remembrance and rebirth. It suggests movement across cultures, borders, time and space. It encapsulates the life of one soul connected to many souls all on a journey through life and finally death.

This Year’s Day of the Dead Festival is sponsored in part by: