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ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, OCT. 29, 2015
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Today and tomorrow favor fun, games, entertaining and performing. Your discipline is admirable. Don't invest in fantasical promises without researching first.
Practice and grow stronger at your favorite art. Share
your accomplishments. Dress for the weather.
the long term.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Household issues demand attention. Slow down and listen for the next day or two. A disagreement leads to an improvement. Handle domestic issues before they grow urgent. Create practical solutions by strengthening foundations. Invest for
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Write, research and communicate the story over the next two days. Gather and share information. Stand up for the little guy. Diplomacy on committees reaps gratitude. Don't gamble, especially not with someone else's money.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Your team comes to your rescue today and tomorrow. Ignore the group situation for a rude awakening.
Ask tough questions. Big decisions have to be made.
Go for distance, not speed.
Give us something you
Give up something you don't need.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) you're strong and growing stronger today and tomorrow. Assume authority. Go for substance over symbolism. An illusion.
symbolism. Attribution shatters. Stick to solid ground. Unexpected news affects your plans. Consider consequences before acting. Energy surges are predictable.
Virgo (Aug. 23-sept. 21)
Intuition knocks loudly. As Bob Marley said, "Whosoever digeth a pit shall fall in it." Avoid a maze by disallowing some foolishness.
The solution requires more study. Take time to get it right. Finish up old chores before beginning projects.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Work on team strategy. Develop a clear graphic presentation. Misunderstandings spark easily; provide extra clarification. Make practical modifications. Tighten and revise. Carefully consider any proposed expenditures. Maintain objectivity. Heed the voice of experience.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You're being tested at work You won't like a financial surprise.Postpone gratification for now.Facilitate creative efforts.Teach someone about waiting patiently.
Sagittarius(Nov22-Dec21)
You're entering a two-day busy phase. Don't get stopped by silly arguments.
Listen first before advancing, to avoid a communications breakdown. Invent creative and unusual ideas.
Clean up messes. Whatever love you give is returned.
Capricorn(Dec.22-Jan.19)
Monev's more of an issue
for the next two days.
Handle financial matters.
Circumstances allow some latitude. Your thinking is all over the map. Don't tell all yet. Get cozy and comfortable. Postpone frivolous shopping. Hold on to what
you have.
Aquarius (Jan.20-Feb.18)
Design a new look. Contribute time, not funds. Stand up for your basic values.
Give up some ego. Listen more than you talk. Your partner is especially brilliant over the next two days.
Collaborate for solutions.
Pisces (Feb19-March 20)
Refocus on work today and tomorrow. The workload's increasing, and your team needs you. Revisions are required. Get assistance to finish up a job. Run a reality check. You feel a change in the mood. Don't try to please everybody.
Traditional dancers march during a procession at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. The ancient Mexican tradition commemorates loved ones who have died.
RICHARD VOGEL/AP
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Watkins History Museum celebrates death through colorful tradition at event on Oct. 30
MYSHA PHELPS @KansanNews
Even after death, celebrations continue in the Mexican culture.
Marisela Chavez, a recent University graduate from San Fernando Valley, Calif., said her family never celebrated Halloween because Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) was the main celebratory event. Chavez said she was born to Mexican immigrants and has celebrated as long as she can remember.
"Instead, my mom would spend a few days preparing everything we needed for our altar," Chavez said. "We would start getting all of the ingredients for the food we would make, make candles and buy flowers."
During Dia de los Muertos, family members make visits to a loved one's grave, paint candy skulls and more. In Lawrence, curators at the Watkins History Museum and Spencer Museum of Art help visitors
The activities range from decorating sugar skulls to attending presentations about the artifacts on display. The museum is working in conjunction with the Spencer Museum of Art to teach the local community about this Central American holiday.
On Oct. 30, the Watkins Museum of History will host an event called "Shared Spirits: Exploring Dia de los Muertos." During the event, Lawrence residents can participate in events central to Day of the Dead holiday themes.
explore what Dia de los Muertos means.
Brittany Keegan, acting curator of the Watkins History Museum, said the art pieces, such as miniature dancing skulls, were lent to the museum in 2007.
The Day of the Dead exhibition has been displayed annually by the Watkins History Museum for the last seven years. Each year, the museum plans special exhibits based on themes to educate the public
with the artifacts they have on loan from the Spencer Museum of Art.
"In past years, we looked at how the Day of the Dead influenced political views, aspects of family celebrations and the craftsmanship involved with the artifacts themselves," said Steve Novak, executive director of the Watkins History Museum.
Chavez said the celebration was a way to get to know family members she hadn't met through the celebration.
"That's how I know what my grandfather's food was or my mothers sister that passed when she was young," she said. "Dia de los Muertos for me is much more than a religious and colorful tradition, it is rooted in pre-Columbian traditions — a link to the past, to our ancestors and a reminder of our humanity."
Chavez added: "In remembering our loved ones, in opening the door so that for a few days we are able to laugh, sing, dance and eat with them,
we are celebrating the fact that death is a normal part of our lives."
The event is an extension of a similar Open House exhibition at Spooner Hall where University students were able to view artifacts collected during expeditions in Oaxaca, Mexico in the 1990s.
"Dia de los Muertos for me is much more than a religious and colorful tradition, it is rooted in pre-Columbian traditions — a link to the past, to our ancestors and a reminder of our humanity."
MARISELA CHAVEZ
"[Dia de los Muertos] has become more prevalent in the United States [in recent years]"; Keegan said. "I hope the event sheds a little light on
the Day of the Dead and the community will appreciate the craftsmanship of those who created the artifacts."
She also said she thinks it's important for people in the community to learn more about the Dia de los Muertos holiday. Chavez said that's true. She even hosted events when she was at the University studying for her Master's.
"There is typically so much fear and sadness linked to death, but during these few days we can remember that it shouldn't just be about loss, that we should focus on the good that those who have passed brought into our lives," Chavez said.
She added. "It's really an opportunity to celebrate their passions and dust off the footprints they left behind. I think that events like that are good venues to help debunk myths and invite people to embrace how beautiful celebrating death can be."
Edited by Leah Sitz
The bones of the celebration: What to know
On Nov.1 and 2, many families in Mexico and other Latin
American countries as well as Mexican-Americans will celebrate Dias de los Muertos (The Days of the Dead). The holiday is divided into two separate events. The first day, Dia de Los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents), celebrates the lives of children who have passed while Dia de Los Muertos celebrates the lives of adults. The tradition goes back to ancient Mexico and is celebrated in conjunction with Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, according to National Endowment for the Humanities.
On this festive holiday, families will honor the spirits
Tradition holds that although the deceased are no longer with us, they have transcended into a new life and continually visit their loved ones from beyond the grave. Lively celebrations replace mourning, since it's generally believed that the dead would be insulted by their lives being remembered with heavy sadness, according to the National Geographic. As such, the Day of the Dead he
As such, the Day of the Dead has a number of traditions to pay homage to them.
of their departed loved ones through vigils, festivals, parades and parties. The general belief behind the holiday is to celebrate the lives of the dead, and revisit good memories spent with them.
TELLING STORIES OF THE DECEASED
During the festivities, it is customary to share stories about a deceased loved one to keep their memory alive. Sometimes family members joke about a relative's particular quirks.
Many Mexican families go to community or church-owned graveyards to clean and decorate the gravesites of their deceased loved ones. They build up altars at the gravesite and place offerings (or ofrenda in Spanish), such as the deceased's favorite food, flowers, candles, pictures, sugar skulls and other personal items.
A popular dish served during this holiday is pan de muerto (Bread of the Dead or Dead Man's Bread). Throughout Mexico, in particular, the bread is decorated with brightly colored icing or in the shape of skulls or loved ones. Often this bread is served up as an offering to the dead to be placed at their altars.
SUGAR SKULLS
DECORATING GRAVESITES
PAN DE MUERTO
In standard Dia de los Muertos practice, sugar skulls are meant to represent the lost soul of a departed loved one. The skull is decorated with the name of the loved one written across the forehead. These decorated sweets are usually set at the altar to the loved one. These figures could also be bought at markets.
Edited by Amber Vandegrift
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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO A display of Catrinas, the traditional symbol of death and a part of the celebration.