Mona Shield Payne/Special to the Sun
Colorful paper decorations and sugar-coated skulls are on display in many of the altars presented at the annual Life in Death: Day of the Dead Festival at the Winchester Cultural Center and Park, Nov. 1, 2009.
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014 | 2 a.m.
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations are growing and spreading in the valley, and even Hollywood has had a hand in popularizing the holiday.
The animated film "Book of Life," which draws heavily on Mexican mythology and Day of the Dead traditions, came out this month, helping focus more attention on the colorful celebration.
“It’s amazing how Day of the Dead has come on, and more people are interested in the history and traditions,” said Erika Borges, organizer of the valley’s longest running Day of the Dead celebration, the Life in Death Festival at Winchester Cultural Center.
“I think the movie will spark the curiosity of younger kids and we’ll see even more interest this year.”
The tradition dates back thousands of years and draws its roots to the Aztecs and other Meso-Americans who celebrated the dead with a monthlong festival. The Aztec holiday started around the beginning of August and honored the goddess Mictecacihuatl, "Lady of the Dead."
Conquistadors in Mexico at first tried to put an end to the ritual. Later, with the hope that some Catholicism would infiltrate the holiday, they forced the indigenous people to move the celebration to November to coincide with All Saints' Day.
The festival is typically celebrated over two days, Nov. 1-2. The first day is "Dia de los Inocentes," Day of the Innocents, and is dedicated to honoring deceased children. The second day is for everyone else.
Celebrants build altars, or "ofrendas," to honor the deceased. The altars, which include decorations, pictures and food, reflect the life and favorite things of the person being honored.
“Traditional altars will have items representing water, fire, wind and soil,” said Angelica Maralason, who organizes the Springs Preserve annual Dia de Muertos event. (The title of the event is correct with or without "los," and Springs Preserve chooses the version that forgoes the word.) “Fire, usually represented with candles, illuminates the path for loved ones to come visit that day. Water is to quench their thirst from their journey, and soil is represented by any food that comes from the ground. Finally, wind represents the union between life and death, and that is done with the 'papel picado' (perforated paper), colored paper with holes in it that make different designs.”
People wear skull masks and dance as a way of honoring the dead, a direct tie to the Aztec ceremony where skulls were displayed during rituals as a symbol of death and rebirth. The altars often have wooden skulls, and people eat sugar skulls with the name of the dead written on the forehead.
No matter where you are in the valley there are convenient Day of the Dead events to enjoy.
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Life in Death Festival
The celebration Saturday and Sunday at Winchester Cultural Center, officially dubbed the Life in Death Festival, is now in its 14th year.
The free event continues to grow, drawing 7,000 people last year, and every year includes a poetry competition, an annual tradition in which scribes submit poems in all forms and styles that typically mock death.
In addition to a reading of the poems, there will be food and crafts vendors, musical performances, workshops, including a class on how to make special Day of the Dead bread, and awards for the best ofrendas.
The Matachines of Juarez, traditional Mexican dancers, always close out the celebration with a crowd-pleasing performance.
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Springs Preserve Dia de Muertos
The two-day event at Springs Preserve routinely hits its daily capacity of 5,000 attendees, and keeps expanding its offerings each year.
New for 2014, there will be a beer garden for the adults to enjoy while children get their faces painted and participate in other activities.
This year there will be 34 ofrendas, the most ever, in addition to stages for mariachi bands, dance troupes and other performances.
“My favorite part is the altars, and I spend most of my day crying,” Maralason said. “They are tears of happiness, but it is emotional. It’s wonderful to see how each person goes about representing their loved ones, how they show people what they achieved in life and who they were. It’s amazing how many people tell me how healing it is for them.”
Additionally, the event will highlight the traditions of celebrating the dead of several other nations.
The event is limited to 5,000 tickets each day, Maralason said. Ticket prices: $8 for adults; $5 for children 5 to 12; children 4 and younger are free. Springs Preserve members pay $5 for adults and $3 for children.
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Exhibits
The Mexican Consulate in Las Vegas is sponsoring a few displays around town in honor of the Day of the Dead.
The works of Jose Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican artist who is well known for his use of skeletons in his drawings, will be on display at the consulate, Las Vegas City Hall and the Hispanic Museum of Nevada. Posada died in poverty in 1913, but his drawings have become widely popular and closely associated with Day of the Dead festivities.
Additionally, an altar to Cesar Chavez will be set up at city hall, and one honoring Octavio Paz will be put together at the consulate.
The works will be on display for public viewing from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7.
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Nightlife
The connection to the traditions and practices of the actual Day of the Dead is thin at best, but, as with any holiday, there are a variety of clubs and bars offerings special entertainment and deals for the celebration.
Artifice hosts the Dia de los Muertos party organized by Scarlet, a Las Vegas goth, industrial and death rock party production.
On Saturday, Lavo at Palazzo will hold a Dia de los Muertos “party brunch” and Tao nightclub at Venetian will present a special Day of the Dead night hosted by Eva Longoria.
The Artisan’s Day of the Dead party Saturday features free face painting.
Beauty Bar’s Saturday Day of the Dead party features DJs Bad Beat and ST JP.
Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas will DJ the Day of the Dead festivities at Body English nightclub at Hard Rock Hotel.
At Insert Coins, DJ88 Crykit and Mikey Francis will provide the music of the Saturday Day of the Dead event.
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