The Hispanic Business Council and the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center will be celebrating the annual Día De Los Muertos/Day of the Dead celebration from 5:30 PM – 9 PM Thursday, November 1^st in the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. The event is free and open to the community. The celebrations will be met with local mariachi and folklorico performances, families will get to enjoy fun craft activities and this year the museum is opening their parking lot to a festive Food Truck court.

This is the first time since the covid pandemic that the celebration is held back in-person and at the museum. Last year, the Hispanic Business Council and Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center held a drive-thru event where community members were able to enjoy local performances from their vehicles, and they received a Day of the Dead tote bag with treats donated by local businesses. The event gave community members an opportunity to learn about the significance of Day of the Dead with take-home crafts and information provided by the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a tradition first practiced thousands of years ago by indigenous peoples such as the Aztecs and the Toltecs. They didn’t consider death the end of one’s existence but simply another chapter of life. Rather than grieve their dead, ancient Mexicans celebrated the lives of the deceased and honored their memories. During Día de los Muertos, observed Oct. 31- Nov. 2, they believed the dead had a brief window to leave the spirit realm and visit their loved ones in the mortal world. Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos continues to be celebrated throughout Latin America and around the world. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. In Mexico traditions associated with the holiday include creating altars decorated with sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. In Brazil, the holiday is known as Día de Finados and is marked by visits to cemeteries and churches. In Spain, the day is marked by festivals and parades, graveside observances, and prayer for deceased loved ones.

We invite you all to join us in the celebrations on Tuesday, November 1^st from 5:30pm – 9pm at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center. Everyone is encouraged to bring photographs in honor of lost loved ones to display on a community altar.