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Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

2019

Día de los Muertos craft activities 
Friday, November 1
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
​Library Main floor

Make paper cempasúchil (marigolds), cut papel picado, decorate paper calaveras (skulls), and other items for the ofrenda (altar)

Día de los Muertos Documentary and Discussion
Friday, November 1
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Library Room 223

Documentary film screening with introduction and discussion by Anthropology professor Dr. Beatriz Reyes-Foster

Days of the Dead: living tradition:

With the arrival of the conquistadors, many ancient Mesoamerican rituals were absorbed into Christian holidays. This program examines a collection of sacred, social, and artistic traditions that survived European assimilation and now compose one of Mexico's most important annual festivals. The film follows the travels and experiences of a young Purepecha artisan, her grandmother, and their family during the weeks leading up to the Days of the Dead. As these struggling craftspeople market their wares, study new techniques, and prepare for their deceased patriarch's spiritual return, viewers will see a wide variety of folk art practices-from pottery painting to flower decoration to papier-mache skeleton sculpture-coalesce into a momentous cultural event.

2018

Día de los Muertos craft activities 
Friday, November 2
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
​Library Main floor

Make paper cempasúchil (marigolds), cut papel picado, decorate paper calaveras (skulls), and other items for the ofrenda (altar)

Día de los Muertos Documentary and Discussion
Friday, November 2
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Library Room 223

Documentary film screening with introduction and discussion by Anthropology professor Dr. Beatriz Reyes-Foster

Mexico from the BBC “Feasts” series:

Series in which food writer and presenter Stefan Gates immerses himself in some of the most extraordinary feasts and festivals on earth. By joining ordinary people in these strange and wonderful distillations of their culture and beliefs, he hopes to gain a revelatory insight into how the world thinks and feels. Stefan goes on a wild emotional and spiritual rollercoaster ride that ends with the Day of the Dead, a cacophonous cross-cultural festival of the senses during which Mexicans believe that their loved ones come back from the dead for three days every year to spend the day with them.

2017

Día de los Muertos Documentary and Discussion
Thursday, November 2
10:30 am - 12pm
Library Room 223

Documentary film screening with introduction and discussion by Anthropology professor Dr. Beatriz Reyes-Foster

Día de los Muertos craft activities 
Thursday, November 2
12:30  - 2:00 pm
​Library Main floor

Make paper cempasúchil (marigolds), decorate paper calaveras (skulls), and other items for the ofrenda (alter).