Día de los Muertos Celebration at the Buena Park Library District

To celebrate Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), the Buena Park Library District will present an afternoon of festivities on Saturday, October 25, 2008, beginning at 2:30 pm in the Library Auditorium. Viola Rodríguez Sadler, a Board Member of the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research, will discuss the origins and customs of Día de los Muertos. The presentation will be followed by a ballet folklórico performance by Project SAY (Support Anaheim’s Youth). Everyone is invited to design and color a paper mask after the show. The Buena Park Library is located at 7150 La Palma Avenue in Buena Park, between Knott and Western Avenues.

In conjunction with the Día de los Muertos program, the Buena Park Library staff will create an exhibit about Día de los Muertos. The display provides information about the customs surrounding the holiday, as well as examples of the altars known as “ofrendas”, which are constructed in honor of the dead. The exhibit will be on display in the Library lobby from October 21, 2008 until November 7, 2008.

Día de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Central America. A melding of native (pre-Hispanic) and Catholic beliefs about the afterlife, Día de los Muertos was celebrated as a holiday to honor deceased relatives. It has evolved into a holiday celebrated around the world. In 2003, UNESCO proclaimed Día de los Muertos, as celebrated by the indigenous peoples of Mexico, an Intangible Cultural Heritage.

A native of Texas, Ms. Sadler became interested in researching her family history more than twenty years ago. She and her husband, Charles, have been able to trace her ancestral lines back to the indigenous, and non-indigenous, people of Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Ms. Sadler is a volunteer at the Anaheim Family History Center and has served three terms on the Orange County Grand Jury.

Project SAY is the City of Anaheim’s Youth Development Program. Project SAY serves junior high and high school age youth and their families living in Anaheim, and uses a combination of outreach, recreation, educational workshops and individualized guidance to engage youth in positive and constructive activities to promote the healthy development of young people.

The Buena Park Library is open Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. For information, please call the Reference Desk at 714-826-4100, ext. 125.