DIA DE LOS MUERTOS (Day of the Dead)
The NOTO Arts District
is pleased to partner with the
Tonantzin Society in presenting
Día de los Muertos
bringing a weeklong, citywide major cultural celebration to Topeka for the first time:
Día de los Muertos Topeka
(Day of the Dead)
October 26 – November 2, 2012
What is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)?
A holiday celebrated on the days of Nov 1st and 2nd. Traditionally in the Catholic Church these dates are celebrated as All Saints and All Souls Day. There are intermixed elements of the indigenous Aztec people and the Christian Spaniards. To the Aztecs life was learning to embrace duality, including life and death, and the importance of remembering and honoring the ancestors was sacred to the community. During Nov 1 and 2nd, the spirits of the dead are believed to be able and come back to earth to visit their loved ones, partake of the food and drink left for them, and listen as songs are sung, stories told of them while alive on this earth.
Día de los Muertos
Activities in NOTO Arts District
JOIN US!
Oct 1 – 5 Southwest Traders in NOTO
Giant paper mache Calaveras (skulls) will be created in the NOTO Arts District at Southwest Traders. Each evening from 5:30-8:30 at NOTO volunteers will work with puppeteer Sunny Birklund from New Mexico. Four giant, colorful paper mache calaveras will decorate the NOTO area during the Día de los Muertos festivities. Stop by and visit!
Oct. 26th Southwest Traders in NOTO
The Tonantzin Society welcomes sponsors and partners from across Kansas and Missouri to a V.I.P Reception at Southwest Traders in the NOTO Arts District. The blessing ceremony for the Día de los Muertosa Festival, art and ofrendas will be by Aztec Dance Group Huitzilopochtli from Denver, Colorado.
Oct. 27th Street Fair on N. Kansas Ave, NOTO
The Día de los Muertos Family Street Fair in the NOTO Arts District is the place to be on a fall afternoon. Expect fun for the whole family! Face painting, bi-lingual puppets shows, stilt walkers and a load of crafts for children are just a bit of what is in store. Over 20 vendors selling food, beverages, Día de los Muertos crafts and other wares will line the two block street area. The exhibits will be formally open to the public. A full line up of entertainment is planned so don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs! Street Fair hours are 11am to 5pm.
Oct. 27th– Nov. 25th Ballet Folklorico in NOTO
Topeka’s First Día de los Muertos Regional Art Exhibit opens to the public at Ballet Folklorico/Justicia, Inc. in the NOTO Arts District. The art show winners will also be announced. For a true visual learning experience on this beloved Mexican holiday please consider attending! Admission is FREE
Oct. 27th – Nov. 25th Ballet Folklorico in NOTO
At the heart of every Día de los Muertos celebration is the ofrenda (altar). The ofrenda reminds us of our deceased loved ones through creativity, flowers, candles, sugar skulls, items of the beloved and most importantly with love and intention. The Tonantzin Society’s Ofrenda Exhibit opens to the public in the NOTO Arts District at Ballet Folklorico/Justicia, Inc. Admission is FREE
Nov. 2nd First Friday in NOTO
This date is the actual day/evening Día de los Muertos celebrations occur in Mexico. November’s First Friday at NOTO is also the official close to the city-wide event. The festivities and remembrance continue with Día de los Muertos -themed poetry readings by Kansas City’s Latino Writers Collective and KSU’s Women’s Studies Program faculty and students. Hot Mexican chocolate drink along with Mexican sweet breads will be served. Mariachi Girasol will stroll down the sidewalks of NOTO singing of love, memories and the unfolding of life’s stories. Join us…and perhaps our deceased loved ones may be there too celebrating along with us on this magical evening.
Día de los Muertos
Activities throughout Topeka
Sept 21
“Fiesta de las Calaveras” Artists from around Kansas will gather at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center for an after hours reception and decorate paper mâché calaveras. The calaveras will be on display and for sale during our DDLM week
Oct 1 – 5
Puppeteer Sunny Birklund from New Mexico in Topeka for Día de los Muertos Topeka creating paper mache calaveras. Sunny will be working with Seaman School District youth to create a Día de los Muertos puppet show.
Oct. 28th
Concert reading of “Bones of Butterflies” by Marcia Cebulska – Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, 3pm Admission: Free
Nov. 1st
Guest Lecturer, Denis Defibaugh RIT professor, author and photographer will lecture on his 10 years of photographing Día de los Muertos celebrations in Oaxaca, Mexico. Washburn University, 7pm. Admission: FREE
Nov. 2nd
Kansas Childrens’ Discovery Center will have a community ofrenda, Mexican chocolate and Day of the Dead Bread. Activities will also include face painting and sugar skull decorating workshops. NOTE FOR EDUCATORS: Outreach workshops are available from Sept 24 – Nov 2 and will focus on Mexican culture, geography and their unique holiday Día de los Muertos! Registrations are being taken now through the KCDC. Call 785.783.8300
Nov. 2nd
First Friday opening Defibaugh’s Día de los Muertos photographic exhibit. Denis’s exhibit has been viewed across the country. This is the first time shown in the Midwest. Denis will be here to open his exhibit and signing copies of his book, Day of the Dead: Día de los Muertos. Location: National Park Service’s Brown Historic Site.
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Call for Art
The Tonantzin Society and Día de los Muertos Topeka invites artists to compete in the first Annual DDLM Juried Art show for cash prizes. This opportunity is open to all artists in any level of their career.
Click on picture for more information
