Cleveland Public Theatre / Teatro Público de Cleveland & Día de Muertos Ohio Present DÍA DE MUERTOS

Día de Muertos Ohio and Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) / Teatro Público de Cleveland (TPC) present the 16th Annual Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival, a free, all-ages event created with safety as the highest priority. Día de Muertos is a vibrant cultural celebration for the whole family honoring the memory of those who have passed, and is a treasured holiday in Mexico and throughout Latin America. This year's activities, taking place on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, include indoor, outdoor, and virtual altar and cemetery presentations.

Due to the historic nature of the Church, in-person programming is not currently accessible for wheelchairs - but please consider joining us for virtual programming on CPT's Facebook & YouTube channels.

FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: 16TH ANNUAL DÍA DE MUERTOS

Saturday, October 31 & Sunday, November 1

IN-PERSON

1-9pm (ET)

Church Altar Exhibition & Cemetery Installations
Cleveland Public Theatre - Church, Parish Hall, & surrounding area
6205 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102

CHURCH ALTARS: Héctor Castellanos Lara, Robin Robinson, Robin VanLear
CEMETERY INSTALLATIONS BY: Mark Jenks with Nina V. Huryn

VIRTUAL

3-7pm (ET)

"At-Home" Altar Exhibition
Broadcasted on CPT's Facebook & YouTube

ON 10/31

3pm (ET) virtual kick-off

ON 11/1

6pm (ET) virtual closing

AT-HOME ALTARS: Michelle Castellanos, Faye Hargate, José Montero, Eduardo Rodriguez, Olga Rosado, Georgio Sabino

For more information visit www.diademuertosohio.com

Although its name may sound grim, the Día de los Muertos holiday has its origins in the Aztec rituals of Mexico and other indigenous tribes of Latin America. An internet search of "Día de los Muertos" will yield any number of links to websites explaining and promoting the holiday. But the primary elements of this celebration indicate that the special nature of the occasion is to honor one's ancestors and commemorate beloved ones who have passed. For the Aztecs and others with similar beliefs, honoring and calling upon the ancestors was integrated with harvest festivities, and gathering family to remember past family and friends with fondness and happy memories.

Traditional arts, flowers, food, music, dance, and fun are integral to the cultural mix, as are particular items specific to the holiday, such as the altars (ofrendas). Elements of the earth (salt), wind (cut paper decorations, papeles picados), fire (candles), and water are among the items included on some altars. However, the traditions and rituals are widely varied throughout Mexico, Latin America, Spain, and other countries. When the Spaniards conquered the New World, the indigenous holiday was commingled and integrated with the Catholic All Saints and All Souls Days.

The image of Catrina, the traditional "Lady of the Dead" goddess of the Aztecs, is a smiling skeleton. However gruesome or scary this or the idea of skulls is to Western culture, for the Aztecs skulls symbolized new life. Multiple colorful sculptures of candy skulls (calaveras) and skeletons (catrinas) are bursting with color and created with lighthearted and funny poses of the living. This deeply spiritual and yet exuberant celebration can often reflect more of an attitude about enjoying a higher level of consciousness and living life to the fullest.

For up-to-date information about this year's event, visit www.cptonline.org.

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