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Mexico Day

Saturday, December 2nd,  10:00am – 5:00pm

Mexico’s Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is celebrated as a joyous and colorful festival. Join KID Museum, in partnership with the Mexican Cultural Institute of the Embassy of Mexico in Washington DC, for a spirited day of traditional and creative Mexican Day of the Dead activities for children and adults to enjoy together.

Workshops

Sugar Skulls  (Calaveritas de Azúcar )
Sugar Skulls are made during Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration to capture the colorful spirit of deceased loved ones. Create and decorate your own sugar skulls to take home with you. Ages 7 & up. $10 members; $11 nonmembers.

$10 members, $11 nonmebers

All-Day Activities

Open Explore Activities ($12/child admission; adults free. 10am – 5pm)

Marigold Paper Flowers
Marigold flowers are used to decorate graves and altars during the Day of the Dead. According to Mexican tradition, the vibrant color and scent of the marigolds will guide spirits toward their altars. Create your own flower using crepe paper.

Cardboard Calaca
Calacas are papier mache skeletons. Mexican tradition is to dress up the skeletons in vibrant colors and pose them playing instruments, dancing, eating, or in a variety of poses. Using cardboard and paper pins, create your own calacas and pose them how you like.

Papel Picado
Papel picado is a traditional Mexican folk art using tissue paper designs. Common themes used for papel picado include florals, birds, and skeletons. The papel picado is traditionally made by hand and is used to decorate altars.

Skull Block Printing Art
Learn how to do block printing art and take home your own prints of designs around the Dia de Los Muertos theme.

Loteria Game
Try this Mexican take on Bingo, while practicing your Spanish vocabulary. Instead of using letters and numbers, Loteria uses colorful images and cultural symbols to fill your card.

Calavera Design: Community Skull Mural
Take part in a Mexican tradition by making your mark on a giant, communal mandala skull (calavera).

Day of the Dead Altar
This altar is a traditional, festive display of offerings made to the deceased to invite their spirits back into the world of the living and to aid them in their journey to Earth. Offerings usually include candles, marigolds, incense, sugar skulls, photographs and other objects and foods enjoyed by loved ones who have passed.

Performances

Corazón Folklórico Dance Company will present dances in the style of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from the state of Veracruz, Baja California Norte, and Jalisco. Dances from Veracruz showcase Mexico’s culturally rich and diverse origins from Spanish, Indigenous, and African roots alike while Baja California and Jalisco body the exuberant traditional music used still today in Mexican celebrations. Starts at 1:00 P.M & 2:00pm.