Smithsonian Dia de los Muertos Festival
A Second Life Experience!

The Smithsonian Latino Center presents a Dia de los Muertos 3D experience in the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) illustrating customs and beliefs varying from ancient Mesoamerica to those currently practiced in today’s Latino culture.

Join us…in celebrating and exploring Latino cultural heritage through this holiday for honoring the dead and the cycle of life and death. Learn different aspects of Día de los Muertos and how it is celebrated and practiced.

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a day of celebration for the people of Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Central America, and more recently for Mexican Americans. Rather than grieve over the loss of a beloved family or friend, they choose to commemorate the lives of the dearly departed and welcome the return of their spirits. The history of Day of the Dead is embedded with Pre-Hispanic and Spanish customs. These customs shaped the common elements of traditional Mexican Dia de los Muertos. Today, Day of the Dead has been increasingly popular with Latinos in the United States. Though many of the traditional elements have remained how and where Day of the Dead is celebrated has changed.

For NOV.1, 2011 RADIO LA CHUSMA interview and performance GO to LVM in Second Life or visit our LVM USTREAM channel.

It is free to participate in LVM Dia de los Muertos you just need an avatar account and download SL client, then go directly to our Placita-Music Island where our festival will take place.

Sign up for Tournament here...send us an email at: lvmsecondlife@gmail.com.

The Day of the Dead Ballgame Tournament, sponsored by the Walt Disney Company, is based on the first organized, ancient Mesoamerican sport played almost 3,500 years ago, using a rubber ball. The ball game will take place at the Ballcourt of the Sun located in the music island of the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum. Festival participants are encouraged to learn more about the game by visiting www.ballgame.org, and organizing tournaments with friends and family as the Ballcourt of the Sun will be open to visitors throughout the festival.

Coming Soon! Día de los Muertos schedule of in-world programs and events starting Oct. 31 – Nov.2^nd

• Featured Dead Poets Virtual Reading & Open Mic  
• Featured music by César Ivan (World Music Guitar Session)  
• Día de los Muertos live concert featuring…Radio La Chusma!  
• Build your own Altars and exhibit them in our public sandbox  
• University of Notre Dame takes on the Smithsonian Latino Center home team in a meso-ball game tournament of life and death at the Ballcourt of the Sun 
• Opening procession featuring Elena Díaz Bjorkquist as Teresita Urrea; percussion by Nancy Lorenza Green; poetry by Maria Miranda Maloney, Griselda Muñoz; Blessing conducted by Francisco X. Alarcón
• NEW! Fiesta de las Calaveras & Costume Contest
• NEW! Calaveras y Carritos Race – A tribute to Artist Gilbert Magu Lujan

 

Altar dedication of Chicano Artist Gilbert 'Magu' Lujan, LVM-SL, 2011

Resources:

 

Calaveras on Wheels:

Lesson Plan by Nancy Green. ©   2010

The Taking of the Renwick": The Celebration of the Day of the Dead and the Latino Community in Washington, D. C. Author(s): Olivia Cadaval Source: Journal of Folklore Research, Vol. 22, No. 2/3, Folklore and Semiotics (May 1985), pp. 179-193 Published by: Indiana University Press.

The Day of the Dead as an Art Form: The Day of the Dead Enters the U.S. Museum, Gallery and Cultural Center by Olga Ulloa Herrera © October  2009

 Featured LVM Day of the Dead Partner Many Mouths One Stomach_The All Souls International Film Festival serves as a forum for people from all cultures to actively explore the phenomena of death through cinema. 

Embracing Tradition: Bringing the Dead into Our Lives.  Personal Narrative by Maria Miranda Maloney © October  2009