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Día de los Muertos Family Festival
October 24, 2024 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Enjoy FREE cultural festivities with activities for all ages!
All activities will be hosted at The Grace Museum along with our festival partners.
- Dance Performance at 6:30 pm by Ballet Folklorico del Alvaro Muñoz Academy
- Storytime & Craft at 5:15, 5:45, 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, 7:45 with the Abilene Public Library
- Sugar Skulls & Paper Marigolds with The Grace Museum
- Butterfly Symmetry with the Spark Science Center
- Face Painting with the Center for Contemporary Arts
- Milkweed Bombs with Big Country Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist
- Picture Frame Coloring with FedEx
- Marigolds provided by Flower Boys
- Coffee & Hot Chocolate provided by Front Porch Coffee + Bakery
- Cotton Candy provided by Garzilla’s Cotton Candy
- Conchas provided by H-E-B Abilene
- Community Ofrenda – Feel free to bring photos of your loved ones who have passed to add to the ofrenda.
HOLIDAY HISTORY & TRADITIONS
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday observed throughout Mexico and Central American and South American regions. The celebration emerged with Spain’s colonization of Mesoamerica as indigenous beliefs and practices adapted to Catholic ones. On November 1 and 2 each year, families and friends joyfully celebrate their loved ones who have passed. Some people commune with their ancestors in a liminal space, while others enjoy an annual remembrance of their loved ones. Common practices include setting up ofrendas–altars with the deceased’s photos and favorite things–and making the iconic sugar skulls that have become synonymous with the holiday. Calacas (decorative skeletons) adorn celebrations and Catrinas paint their faces as Día de los Muertos applies humor to what would otherwise be a rather solemn observance of the dead.
Event Sponsors
This project is supported by a grant from the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council and HeARTS for the ARTS.