Berkeley Lab

Day of the Dead at Berkeley Lab

As a follow-up to the screening of the “Coco” movie, the Latinx and Native American Employee Resource Group (LANA) will set up a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) table in the Cafeteria lobby on Tuesday, October 22.

From Wednesday, October 23 through Monday November 4, LANA invites the Lab community to participate by bringing a 4×6 scanned photo of a deceased loved one to add to the table. LANA will provide cardboard frames and craft supplies for decorating the frames. Other traditional items to add are the favorite foods and beverages of the departed.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a cultural celebration of life and death and this year it takes place from October 31 – November 2. The holiday originated in Mexico, but is celebrated all over the Americas. The holiday is a time for family and friends to remember those who have died. The cultural tradition includes building ofrendas (offering) by honoring the deceased with pictures, food, colorful calaveras (skulls) and calacas (skeletons) and marigolds.

For more information, history and pictures of Días de Los Muertos, please click here.

Click here for information on the UNESCO designation of Días de Los Muertos as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.