Verde Valley News – In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Camp Verde Community Library and the Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts (PECPAF) has joined forces to sponsor a community event in celebration of the Día de los Muertos holiday.
The free event will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2023, from 1:30 to 6:00 pm at the Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts, 210 Camp Lincoln Road in Camp Verde. It will feature Ballet Folklorico de Colores, mariachi music, ofrendas (offerings to the departed), a food truck, hands-on activities, and more. The Arizona Community Foundation of Yavapai County, the Burton Family Foundation, and Cambium Wealth & Legacy Strategies contributed funds to make the event possible.
The Latino community is the second largest community in Camp Verde and the Verde Valley. “Celebrating different cultures unites us as a community and broadens our experiences and perspectives of others,” said Leticia Ancira, Spanish Outreach/Children’s Library Specialist.
Día de los Muertos is one of the most important celebrations in Mexico and other Latin American countries. It is a celebration of death and life where families interchange mourning for joy. It is an intimate family moment where those they have lost are remembered and honored. The “Ofrenda” holds the most meaning and is the reason for the celebration.
The United National Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized Día de los Muertos in 2008 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity with its core as reaffirmation of the culture of indigenous life.