El Dia De Los Muertos

Artist Hope Hanley with her “spooky” creation for the Grass Wall.

Photos by Maria Lamb 

Athena Rodriguez at the Marco Island Historical Museum creates a calavera to take home.

Photos by Maria Lamb 

Playing the part to celebrate Dia De los Muertos are Rebecca Mazeroski, Museum Manager for Collier County, and Marco Island Historical Society volunteer Carolyn Rosenfeld.

Photos by Maria Lamb

It’s all about the “Calaveras” (skull masks). Hyla Crane and Miriam Kriel from the Marco Island Center for the Arts.

Photos by Maria Lamb

Patricia Mills, Hyla Crane, and Miriam Kriel at the Dia De los Muertos Grass Wall at the Marco Island Center for the Arts.

Photos by Maria Lamb 

Posted Wednesday, October 23, 2024 8:00 pm

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By Maria Lamb

The Day of the Dead (el Dia de los Muertos) is a traditional Mexican holiday that is celebrated each year from October 31 – November 2nd. November 1-2 is All Souls Day or Day of the Dead. In Hispanic tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31st and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours, and on November 2nd, the spirits of adults can do the same. On the Day of the Dead, people celebrate by wearing skull masks, which is a very recognizable symbol for El Dia de los Muertos.

The celebration of Halloween (All Hallows Eve or All Saints Day) honors saints and the recently departed and can easily be mixed up with El Dia de los Muertos. Halloween is also celebrated at the end of harvest season (October 31st) and children carve Jack O’ Lanterns out of pumpkins and decorate houses and front lawns with ghost-type or scary decorations.

In keeping with the year-long celebration of ¡ARTE VIVA! in Collier County the Marco Island Center for the Arts is proud to announce the installation of the captivating Dia de los Muertos Grass Walls in its courtyard, which had been previously created by talented young artists participating in the Art Center's free Summer Children's Program for the past two years. This year the installation is in the third year and local artists, staff, and gallery committee members took on the task of creating a vibrant installation with various types of ornaments, ofrendas, and other decorations.

On Saturday, October 19th, as part of the Honrando Nuestra Historia Series (Honoring our history), the Collier County Museum and the Marco Island Historical Museum held a family-friendly event on the importance of El Dia De los Muertos and how they differ from Halloween. They had colorful crafts with “calaveras” (skull decorations) and Ofrendas (offerings).

An important part of the El Dia de los Muertos is the creation of an ofrenda – the Spanish word for offerings or “an altar” or a table in remembrance of loved ones. Traditionally, the special table is draped with a decorative cloth or in Mexican tradition, a family handmade serape with lots of family photos, lighted candles, potted marigolds, the favorite food of the loved one being honored and figurines and colorful skulls representing life and death.

According to John Melleky, Arts and Culture Manager for the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) ¡ARTE VIVA! is presented by the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau and promised to be an unforgettable tribute to the rich cultural tapestry of the Hispanic community, which constitutes nearly 30% of the region’s population.

¡Arte Viva! began in September 2022, with 20 local organizations involved in over 70 events. One of the biggest ¡Arte Viva! events was the celebration of Frida Kahlo’s life and work, involving collaboration with multiple organizations.

According to CVB, the 2024-2025 season of ¡ARTE VIVA! will introduce extraordinary new vibrant programs for the first weekend in November with a sample list below for local performances:

November 2 – November 3, 2024: Naples Botanical Garden - El Dia de los Muertos celebration with live dance performance.

November 21, 2024: Marco Island Center for the Arts – Live Music with Leslie Cartaya, Cuban Salsa, and Bolero Cubano singer and Latin American musical rhythms create a harmonious fusion in Leslie Cartaya's music. Cartaya is a Grammy and Latin Grammy Nominee singer-songwriter and producer. Born and raised in Cuba, Cartaya has a wide range of repertoire going from the most dance-able and hot Latin rhythms to more soothing and romantic sounds that incorporate Salsa, Son, Rumba, Funk, Pop, and Reggae.

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