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Where To Celebrate Day Of The Dead In Pilsen

By Stephanie Lulay | October 28, 2016 5:41am
 With a skeleton processional, residents celebrate Dia De Los Muertos last year in Pilsen.
With a skeleton processional, residents celebrate Dia De Los Muertos last year in Pilsen.
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DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay

PILSEN — The largest Day of the Dead celebration in the nation will take place in Pilsen again this year.

Last year, more than 10,000 people turned out for Day of the Dead Chicago at the National Museum of Mexican Art, organizers said.

This year, it will take place from 3-8 p.m. Sunday.

A soccer field outside the museum in Harrison Park will be full of ofrendas, which are altars paying homage to dead loved ones. The fest also features free Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), live music, face painting and art activities.

The museum, which is free, will also be open and features the 30th annual exhibit, "Dia de Los Muertos: Journey of the Soul," through Dec. 11 and features art by more than 50 artists.

"Three decades ago when the Museum first initiated this artistic tradition, few Chicagoans were familiar with the life-affirming holiday," the museum's website says. "Today, the ancestral rituals involved in honoring deceased loved ones have become part of the popular culture across the U.S. Journey of the Soul showcases the indigenous roots and rituals involved in the spiritual tradition."

While the museum is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, on Nov. 1 it will be open until 8 p.m.

Muertos de la Risa

There will be another celebration and walk Wedesday at Dvorak Park, 1119 W. Cullerton, sponsored by ElevArte. The event starts at 3 p.m. with face painting. At 5:30 there will be performances by the Calavera Circus.

The community procession, which starts and ends at Dvorak Park, heads down Morgan, 18th, Throop and 20th Place starting at 6 p.m. It features huge puppets, decorated hand carts and street-level altars.

Race of the Dead

On Saturday, the 2016 Carrere de los Muertos, sponsored by UNO, takes place at 8 a.m. Some 5,000 people will take part in the 5K, which starts at Addams/Meddill Park at 15th and Ashland and heads down neighborhood streets including 18th and 16th streets before returning to the park.

While it's too late to register for the race, officials encourage spectators to come check out the race, which features many runners in costume.

Day of the Dead, the annual Hispanic tradition that honors the deceased, begins the day after Halloween and ends Wednesday. The days coincide with the Catholic holidays All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, but the holiday was born from ancient Aztec traditions.

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