Holiday mix
Event combines Halloween, Day of the Dead
SAN LUIS, Ariz. — Two celebrations of different cultures will become one when this city’s Parks and Recreation Department combines the Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos parties it stages for the public.
The celebrations of Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, and the Spooktacular Festival will take place as one on Oct. 31, from 5 to 10 p.m. in Joe Orduno Park, 965 Park Ave.
Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican tradition that is also observed in cities and towns in the southwestern United States, brings people to cemeteries to decorate the graves of loved ones in what is meant as a celebration of the lives who have passed away. It is celebrated Nov. 1 and 2.
In past years when the two traditions were observed separately, primarily adults turned out for the Dia of the Dead celebration, which included a themed art exhibit and Day of the Dead altar decorating contests. Conversely, children and teens tended to favor the Halloween event that included a haunted house.
By consolidating the celebrations, the parks and recreation department hopes to create an event that brings together people of all ages, said Jesus Meza, the department’s assistant director.
“The idea is to have the two traditions in a single festival,” he said. “The two dates are close together. We thought that they could be celebrated together and that all the (people attending) would enjoy the two traditions in one festival of popular culture.”
In the combined celebration, the Dia de los Muertos activities will take place in the park’s gym, where people of all ages will be able to see 20 different altar exhibits and well as displays of Day of the Dead-themed crafts, paintings, photographs and art in other media. Area artists are invited to show their work in the exhibits.
Outdoors in the park, children’s rides and food booths will be set up, and the city will also offer face painting for youngsters, and will hand out bags of candy to kids.
Also set up outdoors will be stage for live music performances, and the city also is planning a parade for people dressed up as catrinas, which are skeleton-like characters that have become an icon of the Day of the Dead celebration. There will also be a contest to pick the best-dressed catrina.
The celebration will again feature a haunted house, to be located on the main baseball field of the park. Admission to the haunted house will be $1.
Meza said area artists who would like to exhibit their work in the celebrations call the department at (928) 341-8538.