A splash of marigold orange is about to brighten the National Mall. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian invites everyone to its Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration on Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — and admission is completely free.
Rather than a day of mourning, Día de los Muertos is a joyful celebration of family, memory, and the cycle of life, with roots in the Indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica. Throughout the day, the museum’s Potomac Atrium and the imagiNATIONS Activity Center fill with color and music.
Kids and grown-ups can make paper marigolds to place on a Catrina statue, craft papel picado — the festive perforated-paper decorations — with artist David Amorozo, and discover how pan de muerto (bread of the dead) is baked alongside Neil Vargas Jr. Live Catrinas roam the halls with their cheerful take on life and mortality, and Grupo los Tecuanes brings traditional dance to the stage. A bilingual story time rounds out the family programming.
Visitors are also invited to honor their own loved ones: leave photos and mementos on the community ofrenda (altar), or write a name on a paper butterfly and attach it to the memorial arch.
It is a beautiful way for families to welcome a beloved tradition in the heart of the capital.
Photo: DiscoA340 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
