Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead
Date & Time: Saturday, October 27 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Location: Barbey Maritime Center, 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR 97103
Originating from the Aztecs, the Toltecs and Nahuas, and mixed with religious customs, the Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead is undoubtedly one of the most awaited celebrations during the year. The group of La Voz de la Comunidad and the Lower Columbia Hispanic Council extend an invitation to the whole community and to the neighboring communities to be part of this memorable event. at the. We would also like to give a big thanks to our event sponsors: Craft3, Seaside Public Library Foundation, Northwest Parenting, and Street 14 Café!
Thanks to the sponsorship of Northwest Parenting and The Seaside Public Library Foundation, we were able to purchase books for schools in the Seaside School District, Cannon Beach Academy, Warrenton-Hammond and Astoria. In order to promote the cultural recognition of the Day of the Dead and so that children and their parents can help educate all families about this important Latin American holiday.
We would like to ask for the help of parent volunteers who are more familiar with this holiday to come to the classes involved to help us make a craft that we’ve prepared for the Day of the Dead. We also need help from parents to read the Spanish part in the bilingual books to the children. The dates you can participate in the schools are October 22 to October 26.
If you are interested in reading Spanish in an elementary class in Astoria, Warrenton, or Seaside, please contact Maritza Romero: 503-338-8157. If you are interested in volunteering for our Dia de Muertos event please contact Andrea Gonzalez: 503-325-4547
THE TRADITION OF DAYS OF THE DEAD
Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead is an annual Mexican and Central American celebration to remember loves ones who have passed away. It is generally celebrated in the last week of October through the first days of November, which coincides with an observance of Catholic feast of All Saints’ and All Souls’s Day on November 1st and 2nd. The custom that combines indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism brought to the region by Spanish conquistadores. It is a time of family reunion, not only for the living but also for the dead, who for a few brief hours are believed to return to be with their living relatives. Altars with offerings of food, candy, toys, candles, flowers, and incense are set up in the home for the returning spirits. Graves in the cemetery are cleaned and decorated with flowers in preparation for an all-night vigil. By sharing in these family and communal rituals, grief is appeased, relationships are reinforced, and life is celebrated. The day of the dead is truly a celebration of life, where we can reflect the time we had with our loved ones and reflect on our own lives.