‘Day of the Dead’ will be celebrated on Saturday at YMCA in Medina

Photo by T.C. Owens: Leonel Rosario and others painted their faces and danced during the Day of the Dead celebration on 2019 inside the YMCA on Pearl Street in Medina.

Press Release, GO Art!

MEDINA – GO Art! is happy to invite you to our Mexican Día de los Muertos celebration, co-sponsored by the Orleans County YMCA, Mariachi de Oro Mexican Grill, and Maizal Mexican Kitchen.

Join us on Saturday, October 26, at the Orleans County YMCA, 306 Pearl St., Medina, from 3 to 7 p.m.  Come learn about and enjoy this holiday that remembers ancestors, with free activities for the whole family.

The festivities will include Mexican crafts, face painting, dance and music performances, ofrenda displays, and special food tastings.  All activities will continue throughout the day: a full schedule can be found at www.MedinaDoD.com

The Mexican Day of the Dead Celebration is a time of joyful remembrance of deceased loved ones, filled with an array of colors, scents, sounds and stories. Centered around the observance of All Saints and All Souls Days on November 1 and 2, the celebration also includes images and ideas about the roles of ancestors in our lives that trace back to Mexico’s indigenous peoples.

Tradition holds that this is the one time of the year when souls can return to earth for a day and commune with their families and friends. Many people now have been introduced to the holiday through the movie, Coco.

“We love to partner with the Orleans County YMCA for this event, along with local Medina businesses and community members,” said Karen Canning, director of GLOW Traditions at GO Art!

Photo by Karen Canning: These two decorate sugar skull during the 2022 Day of the Dead at the YMCA in Medina.

Mexican celebrations often include animated skeletons, colorfully decorated skulls (calaveras), and elaborately cut tissue paper banners, emphasizing life’s continuing vibrancy. Local business owners and community groups are hosting workshops in such arts, including sugar skulls, paper flowers, flags, and banners, and paper masks.

Hosts and volunteers include Della’s Chocolates, The Downtown Browsery, Oak Orchard Girl Scouts, Orleans Head Start, and Medina High School students.  Canalside Tattoos will offer temporary tattoos, Case-Nic Cookies will have Day of the Dead themed cookies for sale, and vendors including Las Toxicas will feature Mexican jewelry and clothing for purchase. Candy Creations Facepaint of Medina will host face painting, and Mariachi de Oro will provide samples of Mexican hot chocolate and pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a typical food of the holiday. Maizal Mexican Kitchen will offer several items for sale, including tamales, fruit with tajin, and snacks.

Beautiful altars (ofrendas) in homes welcome the returning souls and feature candles, wild marigolds, incense, photographs, mementos and loved ones’ favorite foods like fruit, tortillas, tamales, chocolate, and bread.

Members of the Rosario family will again create a large ofrenda at the YMCA in the style of their hometown in Oaxaca, Mexico.  Attendees can contribute to a community ofrenda, by placing a candle (electric, provided) and adding a remembrance of loved ones.  Attendees can also bring copies of a photo to add to the ofrenda.

Mexican dance and music performances will be presented at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. by Alma de México, led by Karla Alcalá.  A former member of a folkloric dance group in Mexico, Karla now teaches community members traditional dance from a variety of regions. Live music will also be provided by La Marimba from Buffalo, led by Tiffany Nicely. Everyone is invited to join in the fun, and feel free to come in Day of the Dead-themed outfits.

The event is co-sponsored by GO Art!, the Orleans County YMCA, Mariachi de Oro Mexican Grill, and Maizal Mexican Kitchen, with partial funding from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.