On October 26th of this year, MLJ Adoptions will be hosting its Second Annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration. Dia de los Muertos is primarily considered a Mexican holiday, but is celebrated throughout other Hispanic and Latin American countries as well, and each country has some unique traditions to add to our celebration. If you are adopting from Mexico or Nicaragua, or have adopted children from Guatemala or Honduras, this is a great opportunity to embrace your child’s unique culture.
Those who aren’t familiar with Dia de los Muertos may confuse the holiday for a time to mourn, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Rather than grieving over lost loved ones, festivities are held in celebration of the life their friends and family members had. Parties, parades, and festivals fill the streets while embellished altars and flowers adorn gravesites.
We have a fun-filled day planned for our own celebration! We are excited to share that Indianapolis’s own Latin Expressions Dance Company will be putting on a special performance during our event. MLJ will also have kid-friendly crafts! Your children can look forward to making their own Guatemalan kites and Papel Picado Mexican folk art banners. After making crafts, don’t forget to visit our face painting station to get a sugar skull design!
We will also have some traditional Dia de los Muertos pieces on display. Our display tables will be ornamented with two hand-made Mariachi Catrina dolls, a beautiful authentic sugar skull, Saint’s candles, and merigolds.
To feed our guests we will have a buffet-style nacho bar. Garnish your tortilla chips with traditional Hispanic toppings like onions, fresh cilantro, and lime. You can also opt for classics such as lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream. There will also be some Pan de Muerto for guests to sample! We would love to have guests bring other traditional Hispanic desserts and side-dishes if they would like to help with the pitch in.
Date: Saturday, October 26th, 2013
When: 2:00-5:00pm
Where: MLJ Adoptions, Inc.
617 East North Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
This event is for everyone! Invite friends and family connected to adoption or the Hispanic community! We look forward to seeing you there!
Photo Credit: gnatallica