Dia De Muertos celebration coming to Copley Square

The City of Boston is teaming up with Boston’s Consulate General of Mexico to present a two-day Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration on November 1 and 2 in Copley Square from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. A formal event and speaking program is scheduled for November 2 at 12 p.m.

Dia de Muertos is celebrated in traditional Mexican homes where departed family members are remembered by altars lovingly decorated with photographs, papel picado paper decorations, offerings of fruit, favorite food and drink, and candles.

Guests are invited to send photos of their loved ones to be displayed on the altar in Copley Square and join in the Copley Square events on November 1 and 2 to celebrate Dia de Muertos and those whose memories we keep alive. Photos can be submitted online.

The celebration also includes masses of fragrant orange cempasúchil marigolds, also called the flor de muertos (“flower of the dead”) in Mexico and used annually in the Day of the Dead. The marigolds, with their bright orange color and scent, are thought to guide the spirits home. The City of Boston’s Dia de Muertos altar in Copley Square will contain 500 pots of marigolds, grown from seed and tended to since August by Boston Parks and Recreation Department horticulturalists.

Additional support is provided by Lena Park Fab Lab in crafting papel picado, Morgan Memorial for contributing hundreds of photo frames, and the hundreds of Bostonians (near and far) who have contributed photos and memories to make the City of Boston’s ofrenda so special.