Dia de los Muertos All-Ages Event

Celebrate the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead with an afternoon of cultural activities and celebration. Learn the history of the holiday and enjoy face painting, sugar skulls, stories and crafts for all ages. Partake in the traditional activity of honoring those who have departed, by bringing a photograph or personal affect to add to our library Día de los Muertos altar. Costumes are welcome and encouraged.

Date: Sunday, November 1

Time: 1-4 p.m.

Location: Hendrickson Room and the Hub, Arlington Heights Memorial Library

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About Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1. While the tradition is associated with Mexico where the holiday originated, the holiday is now celebrated throughout Latin America as people remember loved ones who have died with festivals and lively parties. Believing that the dead would be insulted by mourning or sadness, Dia de los Muertos celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life. On Dia de los Muertos, the dead are also a part of the community, awakened from their eternal sleep to share celebrations with their loved ones. The most familiar symbol of Dia de los Muertos may be the calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls), which appear everywhere during the holiday: in candied sweets, as parade masks, as dolls. Calacas and calaveras are almost always portrayed as enjoying life, often in fancy clothes and entertaining situations.