ATLANTA — Oakland Cemetery will be the backdrop of Atlanta's Day of the Dead Festival.
Día de Muertos will be celebrated Nov. 6 at the cemetery from noon to 5 p.m. The Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta and the Institute of Mexican Culture will help host the celebrations.
Guests can partake in traditional dancing, crafts, authentic Mexican food and other entertainment. People can also view a display of altars decorated with flowers, foods and favorite items honoring lost family and friends.
The event is supposed to replicate a long-standing tradition that originated with indigenous groups like the Aztecs and Toltecs who considered mourning the dead disrespectful.
"For these pre-Hispanic cultures, death was a natural phase in life's long continuum. The dead were still members of the community, kept alive in memory and spirit, and during Día de Muertos they temporarily returned to earth," organizers said in a news release.
Celebrations have since evolved into a blend of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Christian feasts, typically taking place on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day on the Catholic calendar, event organizers said. This also falls around the time of the fall maize harvest.
Oakland Cemetery is inviting the general public to partake in the festive and colorful holiday and celebrate the lives of those who have passed on.
Admission is free and dressing up for the festival is encouraged. There will be a Catrinas and Catrines, commonly referred to as sugar skulls, costume contest with cash prizes for the first-place winner in the kids and adults categories. Registration for this contest will be at the festival entrance.
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