Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/01/2025
11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location
Murphys Community Park
Categories
traditional artisan vendors, food, drink, and a community altar in the Park, and, as always, our businesses will be displaying ofrendas honoring those who we have lost but are still with us in spirit. We’ll have some of your favorite live entertainment back in 2025, along with the Catrin/Catrina contest, and expand our other activities. Thank you to all of you who attended, participated, and supported the event in the past. A map is here.
Participating businesses will be displaying altars celebrating the lives of those who have passed on but are with us in heart and spirit on the Day of the Dead. Join us in the Community Park on Algiers Street to shop a curated group of artisan vendors, have your face painted, grab a drink or something to eat, enjoy traditional entertainment, and visit our community ofrenda. Activities in the Park run from 11am-5pm with the final ceremony & blessing of the messages beginning shortly after 5pm.
Purchases of food & drinks in the Park benefit the Murphys Community Club, which is responsible for maintaining and improving our lovely park along the creek. The Park will also be the location of our Community Altar, where everyone is welcome to contribute a remembrance of a loved one. We will end the event with a blessing and ritual burning of any items left at the altar at the end of the day.
We encourage you to dress in your best Catrin & Catrina attire for the contest at 4 pm, along with prizes for the winner and runner-up. Please sign up at our information booth in the Park prior to 2 pm on the day of the event. There is no fee to participate. Kids are free and need not sign up in advance; just bring them to the Park before 3 pm so they can get in on the action. Halloween, Witch & Warlock style costumes are not culturally respectful and won’t be included in this pageant.
This ancient holiday traces its roots back to the indigenous cultures of Mexico, Latin America, and Europe but has become inextricably intertwined with the Catholic observance of All Saints Day and All Souls Day over time. Although this celebration is associated with the dead, it is traditionally a period full of life, happiness, color, food, family, and fun. In Mexico, outdoor markets display and sell symbolic items like a special bread, pottery, baskets, candles, paper puppets, candy skulls, and flowers. Skeletons are also an important symbol of this day and are displayed hugging, dancing, and laughing in shop windows and on street corners.
Traditional activities are believed to “welcome the souls of the dead.” The souls are said to return each year to enjoy the pleasures of the life that they once had. These souls are thought to return as spirits from another world to be with their loved ones for a few brief hours. A widely held belief is that the souls of children (angelitos) return first, so food and gifts appealing to children are set out for them. The adult dead are said to return a day or two later, and their favorite items, as well as elaborate food and drink, are set out for them as well. It is believed that candlelight, as well as the scent of marigolds and copal incense, will help the ghosts find their way back home.
The public is welcome to participate in the remembrance of loved ones by contributing items to the altars. Add to the Community Altar located in the Park or contact the business owner whose altar you would like to contribute to make sure there is an appropriate space for your item. Most altars honoring groups such as children, firefighters, and public figures will welcome your contribution. Those honoring a family member or friend are likely to limit contributions to items from the person’s family and friends. The Murphys Community lost our long time Vendor Coordinator for this event, Catherine Carnahan, this past year and will be honoring her as part of our Community Altar this year. We welcome your contributions.
Just remember that the items left at the Community Altar in the Park after 4pm will become part of the final blessing to be administered with the participation of Aztec cultural dancers, and all items will be burned as a part of the blessing ritual. Please pick up any photos or items you wish returned prior to 4pm.
Additional information on the history, traditions, and beliefs associated with the Day of the Dead can be found on the mexconnect website.
The Murphys Day of the Dead Celebration (Dia de Los Muertos) is hosted by the Murphys Business Association (VisitMurphys) in partnership with the Murphys Community Club and the participating businesses of Murphys. We thank all the participants, entertainers, vendors, and volunteers who make this event possible each year.
