The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will host a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) community celebration Oct. 31-Nov. 2, to share the cultural importance of this Mexican festival. Guests will enjoy activities including a Monarch Migration Quest, face painting, crafts, altars, and more. Día de los Muertos attire is encouraged.
After more than a decade hiatus, the museum’s education department, spearheaded by community education manager Stefanie Coleman and astronomy programs manager Javier Rivera, is reviving and expanding the celebration to invite more community participation.
“I grew up with Day of the Dead in Mexico,” Rivera said. “I remember it fondly. For several days, you hang out with family, you cook, you prepare, you enjoy, you remember those who passed away. And on that day, you celebrate. You’re not mourning, you’re celebrating the fact that they’re revisiting you for a while in your memory.”
Rivera particularly wishes this year’s events will welcome many people from the Spanish-speaking community to the museum, so the institution can better serve all of Santa Barbara.
“This should be Santa Barbara’s Museum of Natural History. This is one good step in that direction,” he said.
Rivera and Coleman hope this will lead to partnerships with community groups to plan involvement in next year’s celebration.
“This year we are focusing on the connection between butterflies and Día de los Muertos,” Coleman said. “The migrating Eastern population of Monarch butterflies is often abundant in Mexico during the Day of the Dead. We are sharing the cultural and ecological importance of the species in a fun quest that takes guests around the museum.
“According to traditional belief, Monarchs are the souls of ancestors returning to Earth for their yearly visit. Marigold flowers guide the spirits to their altars using vibrant colors and pungent scent.”
“However,” she said, “Monarch butterfly populations in North America are in decline due to climate change, pesticides, and habitat loss. Join us at the museum to go on a Monarch Migration Quest and learn more about the natural history behind Mexican traditions and how to help the butterfly population.”
In addition to the other activities, Nov. 2-3, La Calenda will host a pop-up trunk show selling authentic hand-made textiles, jewelry, clothing, ceramics, and Día de los Muertos-themed goods from artisans in Oaxaca and other Mexican states.
For more information, visit sbnature.org.
— Briana Sapp Tivey for Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.