Day of the Dead – Activities at British Museum

Free Family Day Tied to Moctezuma Aztec Ruler & Revolution on Paper

Oct 5, 2009
Frances Spiegel

Aztec Gold from Moctezuma Aztec Ruler - The Trustees of the British Museum

On 1st November 2009 the BM will host a family fun day exploring Mexican fiesta, Day of the Dead. Visitors will see performances, talks, processions and demonstrations.

On Sunday 1st November, the British Museum is holding a special activity day (admission free) to celebrate the Mexican festival known as the Day of the Dead. The fiesta goes back more than 3,000 years and originated with Mexico's pre-Hispanic cultures.

The festival in its modern form consists of a mixture of Catholic beliefs and native traditions. Private altars are built to honour the dead. These are decorated with skulls made of sugar, marigolds, and the deceased person's favourite foods. Families also visit the graves of their loved ones and present these items as gifts.

The British Museum's modern-day celebration will include performances, storytelling, talks, displays, demonstrations and processions and will definitely be a family event. Activities, which will be lead by professional artists, will focus on making props and costumes for processions as well as other activities linked to Mexican culture.

Activities will take during the week leading up to 1st November, and throughout the day itself:

British Museum Family Activities Preparing for 1st November

In the half-term week leading up to 1st November, children and their families will be invited to help leading Mexican artists, including Adriana Amaya, make a Day of the Dead ofrenda (altar) in the Great Court.

Processions and Performances on the Day

On the day, a group of performers, dancers and musicians, dressed in carnival costumes, will be joined by visitors for a colourful procession through the galleries. To be ready for the parade children will be able to have their faces painted with traditional skeleton faces.
There will also be music and dance performances in the Great Court and stilt walkers performing on the colonnade.

Demonstrations, Storytelling and Skeleton Trail

Adriana Amaya will also be giving demonstrations of paper cutting during the event. Mexicans create paper cut outs – papel picado – to decorate the graves of their loved ones, as well as their homes, streets and shops during festivals.
Master storytellers, including Ben Haggarty and Tuup (aka Godfrey Duncan), will be presenting traditional stories.
The British Museum will be hosting a skeleton trail through the galleries for families to take part in.

Talks and Activities for Adults

The author, Chloe Sayer, will explain some of the traditions surrounding this festival.
Television presenter and food writer, Stefan Gates, will talk about the filming of the Feast series for BBC4, and his experiences of Day of the Dead.
The Paul Hamlyn Library will be showing a volume of the Kingsborough Codex. The Codex consists of nine volumes of pre-Hispanic and colonial Mesoamerican facsimiles. As part of the presentation there will be an adult workshop on pictograms to accompany the Codex. Later in the day there will be a Mexican-themed storytelling session for adults.

This family activity is part of a programme of events linked to the British Museum's current exhibitions Moctezuma Aztec Ruler (admission charge) and Revolution on Paper: Mexican Prints (free admission). Both exhibitions will be open on the day and the British Museum will supply information about opening times and admission charges. Tickets for Moctezuma are subject to availability so book before you go.