Day of the Dead festival enlivens cultural center

In Mexican culture, death is traditionally represented by a woman named Catrina.

At the Winchester Cultural Center's Life in Death Festival, death is a skeletonized showgirl.

"She's our mascot," says Patrick Gaffey, director of the center.

It's a bit irreverent but reflects the attitude surrounding the Day of the Dead Mexican holiday that is celebrated Nov. 1 and 2. In part, it's a somber holiday during which people pay tribute to deceased loved ones. But it's also lighthearted. People dress in costumes, usually skeletons, and paint their faces. Satirical, clever poetry called calavera is written, usually about rich people, living or dead.

"The calavera is a kind of poem that really gets at the heart of the Mexican attitude toward death," Gaffey says. "Like so much poetry, it tends to be written by ordinary people making fun of the wealthy and powerful, reminding them that they're going to die, too." 

The Winchester version of the holiday, in its ninth year, will feature calaveras, artwork, dancing, music, food and other activities. It is the center's biggest festival, drawing about 8,000 attendees.

Crafts and food will be available for purchase, while kids will be able to participate in arts and crafts activities.

People can set up afrendas, or altars, in memory of the deceased. It's a tradition in which people display items that a loved one enjoyed in life, Gaffey says. Many often feature Mexican beer, food, clothes and photos, among other things. Afrendas are sometimes used to make a statement. One year, the park service dedicated an afrenda to people who had drowned in Lake Mead. Anyone can erect an afrenda, but the cultural center requires that someone stand with them during the festival to explain the displays to attendees.

The calaveras, submitted by the public leading up to the festival, will be assembled into a booklet, Gaffey says. The finalists will read their pieces throughout the festival on Tuesday . On Wednesday , the first-, second- and third-place winners will read their poems at 8 p.m.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.