MCC planning Day of the Dead celebrations Nov. 5

Submitted by McHenry County College

McHenry County College will celebrate the Day of the Dead from 12:15 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, beginning in the MCC Luecht Conference Center.

The event will begin with complimentary authentic Day of the Dead bread and Mexican chocolate, which will be served outside of the Luecht Conference Center, followed by a Day of the Dead lecture from 1 to 1:45 p.m. facilitated by the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Following the lecture will be a folk music performance by Tarima Son from 1:45 to 2:15 p.m. also in the conference center. The event will conclude with a sugar skull decorating activity in the MCC Commons area from 2:15 to 3 p.m.

Day of the Dead, called Dia de Muertos in Spanish, is a Mexican holiday celebrated between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. Families get together to pray for and remember loved ones who died. The belief behind the event is that spirits return to the earth for one day of the year to be with their families. Those who celebrate the event build intricate and ornate altars (called ofrendas in Spanish), make specialty foods and candies, along with candle making, gift wrapping, and arrange flowers at loved ones’ grave sites.

The event is free and open to the public. The college is at 8900 Route 14 in Crystal Lake. For more information, call the MCC Multicultural Programs office at (815) 479-7749.