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Annual Dias de los Muertos program to begin Oct. 10
Lied Discovery Children's Museum to celebrate cultural traditions
September 16, 2009
Lied Discovery Children's Museum once again presents Dias de los Muertos, a month of cultural programming celebrating the traditional Mexican holiday, from October 10 to November 6.
Dia de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead," has been celebrated for thousands of years. Today it is celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2 in conjunction with the Catholic holiday of All Saints Day in Mexico and by Latinos in the United States with gatherings and reunions of friends and family to remember and pray for loved ones who have died. Traditional activities include preparing grave sites and altars (ofrendas) with colorful cloth, streamers, candles, flowers and photographs and making pan de muertos ("bread of the dead"), skull-shaped sweets and papier-mâché skeletons.
The museum's Dias de los Muertos celebration will last for nearly a month, featuring special workshops, an exhibition of ofrendas, and arts and crafts activities. The holiday is traditionally a private family remembrance with public aspects at a broader community level, and the museum is proud to continue to serve as a "community living room" where individuals can observe, learn and participate in these rich traditions.
Dias de los Muertos at Lied Discovery Children's Museum is sponsored by Nevada Humanities, one of 56 state and territorial humanities councils affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit www.nevadahumanities.org.
