Spirit of a Culture

Every year around Halloween, the Department of Visual and Public Art at California State University, Monterey Bay, throws a party for the dead, enticing their souls to come for a visit by setting out their favorite food and drink.

This annual Dia de Los Muertos- Day of the Dead – will be celebrated on the evening of Nov. 2. This year’s theme is “Music of the Dead,” and the celebration will feature an “underground unity tour” that will celebrate recently departed musicians such as Johnny Cash, Celia Cruz, and Barry White, among others.

Music not only brings people together, but it is in many ways an inherently social and interactive force that evokes memory and expresses culture.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a performance by Aztec dancers and drummers. The celebration also includes a processional, community gathering, a “mercado,” or indoor market and an outdoor exhibition and café. Altars will be on display and the evening will include a chance for visitors to recognize the memory of their loved ones who have passed away.

If this sounds morbid, rest assured that it is not – there is something joyful and reassuring about a tradition that celebrates the continuity of life and afterlife through art and festivity.

The Day of the Dead celebration began in Meso-American times in Mexico. The celebration usually takes place on Nov. 1 and 2, and includes altars and practices of remembrance. CSUMB has transformed this tradition in a contemporary cross-cultural ceremony in memory since 1995.

When: Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003

What: Day of the Dead celebration, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: University Center on Sixth Avenue, CSUMB campus

Cost: Free

More Information: Department of Visual and Public Art, 582-3005

Parking: Free parking available in lots 30 and 29