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‘Day of the Dead’ comes to life in Carbondale

People walk through downtown Carbondale for Día de los Muertos, a celebration featuring performances, a procession and other festivities.
Courtesy of Carbondale Arts
People walk through downtown Carbondale for Día de los Muertos, a celebration featuring performances, a procession and other festivities.

Carbondale celebrated Día de los Muertos at First Friday with a packed program of festive performances and a procession through downtown.

People saw performances from Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklórico dancers, the Sopris Soarers, the Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra and Mezcla Socials. Other community partners producing the event included Carbondale Arts, The Thunder River Theatre Company and the Carbondale Chamber.

This year, the festivities also recognized longtime Ballet Folkórico instructor Francisco “Paco” Nevarez-Burgueño for his contributions to the celebration and the community.

Nevarez-Burgueño said celebrations such as this are a way to share Mexican culture and traditions with the next generation living here in the United States.

“That's a goal for this program, especially for Día de los Muertos, to keep that celebration alive in these kids who are here in the United States,” he said.

It’s also a way to educate the community about the significance of the celebration.

“It's not like something scary,” he said. “It’s a celebration of life through the Day of the Dead.”

A procession featuring the Ballet Folklórico dancers and large-scale catrina puppets started at 6 p.m.

Bonfire Coffee and the Safe and Abundant Nutrition Alliance served up festive foods such as Mexican hot chocolate and pan de muertos, according to a news release. Valley Settlement offered face-painting and Lotería games.

A community ofrenda outside of the Launchpad kicked off Día de los Muertos on Tuesday and will remain up through Nov. 11. Community members can bring photos and mementos of their loved ones who have died for a collective remembrance.

Kaya Williams is the Edlis Neeson Arts and Culture Reporter at Aspen Public Radio, covering the vibrant creative and cultural scene in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. She studied journalism and history at Boston University, where she also worked for WBUR, WGBH, The Boston Globe and her beloved college newspaper, The Daily Free Press. Williams joins the team after a stint at The Aspen Times, where she reported on Snowmass Village, education, mental health, food, the ski industry, arts and culture and other general assignment stories.
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