Kulttuurikeskus Ninho honors the Day of the Dead tradition with a beautiful program for children and their families. The 3rd edition of our traditional Día de Muertos – Family Day will take place at Oodi Library (Helsinki) on November 2nd, with lots of fun activities for all ages. This year, as a new addition, Ninho will travel to Somero on October 10th to take part in the Meksikolainen – Iltäpäivä! organised by the association Fontan.
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore this ancestral Mexican and Central American tradition that commemorates the transitory return to Earth of deceased relatives and loved ones.
Typically celebrated between November 1st and 2nd, families set up spectacular Altars in memory of their loved ones, and it’s a special day to honor them, while surrounded by family and friends.
The Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos in Spanish) was recognized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland in 2023 as Intangible Cultural Heritage, and it has been part of UNESCO’s intangible world heritage since 2003.
Join the Meksikolainen – Iltäpäivä! In Somero
Ninho’s Day of the Dead 2024 program will start in Somero, with a concert by Mexican guitarist Alan Guerra. His concert ‘A bestiary from Mexico’ will close the event Meksikolainen – Iltäpäivä! A fun day full of music, culture, food, games and activities for all ages.
This concert is a collection of guitar music about stories of animals that inhabit the desert of Northern Mexico. You can find more info above.
👇🏾 Don’t miss it!
🗓 12.10.2024 ⏰ 3 – 6 pm (Alan Guerra’s concert: 5 pm) 📌 Kiiruunkoulu: Kiiruuntie, 4 Somero 🎟️ Free.
Meksikolainen – Iltäpäivä! is co-produced by Somero, Kulttuurikeskus Ninho, Koa ry, Fontan and Paola H.C.
Remembering our loved ones in Oodi, with Day of the Dead – Family Day 2024
Our traditional Day of the Dead – Family Day will arrive at Oodi Library (Helsinki) to celebrate its 3rd edition! 👏🏾
The date will be November 2, 2024, and this year will be full of surprises. As new activities of this edition, Ninho will include a storytelling session in Swedish and a community installation created by all participants.
But first, as is becoming usual, the kickoff of this years’ program will be a video installation, also at Oodi. ‘Camino a casa’ (Way home) will light the way to our loved ones, so they can return home during the Day of the Dead.
Visual Mexican artists, Nancy Sosa Macias and Pablo Mercado will be the creators of this beautiful and meaningful video-installation.
As they explain: “Every time we evoke the memory of our loved ones, we light their way back home. In this animation, we represent that idea with candles and marigold petals (cempasúchil, in Náhuatl language), which are part of the Day of the Dead ritual.”
🗓 2.11.2024 ⏰ 2-4:30 pm 📌 Oodi Library: Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki | Children’s section – Events Room (3rd floor) 🧸 Age suggested: all ages. 🎟️ Free
Day of the Dead – Family Day:
Join the commemoration of Día de Muertos with the fantastic Family Day that Kulttuurikeskus Ninho has produced for its 3rd edition! We return to Oodi Library with a program for children and their families. Let’s honor this ancestral tradition together while remembering all the special people who are no longer with us.
In addition to the video installation, the program includes a nonstop art workshop, a collaborative art installation, storytelling sessions in Spanish, Finnish and Swedish, and Alan Guerra’s concert, ‘A Mexican Bestiary’.
🗓 2.11.2024 ⏰ 2 – 6 pm 📌 Oodi Library: Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki | Children’s section (3rd floor). 🧸 Age suggested: all ages 🎟️ All activities have free access.
Check out the full program of Día de Muertos – Family Day!
- Multilingual Storytime sessions:
The 3rd edition of Ninho’s Day of the Dead – Family Day couldn’t forget our traditional and beloved multilingual marathons!
Come with your children and get to know Día de Muertos through lovely stories. This year, Swedish-speaking families will also have the opportunity to enjoy books related to the ancestral tradition!
- 2-3 pm: Storytelling in Swedish by Elina Sange.
- 3-4 pm: Storytelling in Finnish by Taru Adler.
- 4-5 pm: Storytelling in Spanish by Alicia Sevilla.
⏰ 2 – 5 pm 📌 Children’s section – Window carpet area. 🧸 Age suggested: +3 with an adult.
- DIY Forest Altar Kit | Nonstop Art Workshop for families:
The creator of the official image of our program, Mexican artist Mariana Núñez Sánchez, will facilitate this beautiful DIY (Do It Yourself) art workshop for all families to enjoy together.
Step into this beautiful tradition and honor those who have passed by creating your own miniature Altar with your children.
⏰ 2 – 4 pm. 📌 Children’s section – Upstairs area. 💬 Language: Spanish, English, Easy Finnish and Swedish. 🧸 Age suggested: +2 with an adult.
- In the Forest – Remembering our loved ones | Collaborative installation:
Let‘s come together to remember our family members, friends, pets… who are no longer with us, in this collective offering that will decorate the tress area with beautiful flowers and the names of our loved ones. The collective installation will remain until the 6.11 aprox.!
⏰ 2 – 6 pm. 📌 Children’s section – Trees area. 🧸 Age suggested: +2 with an adult. Designed by artist Mariana Núñez Sánchez (MX).
- Mexican folklore will close the Family Day!:
Mexican guitarist Alan Guerra will close the Day of the Dead – Family Day 2024 in Oodi with his concert ‘A bestiary from Mexico’, a collection of music for classic guitar composed by contemporary Mexican authors, inspired in the lives, stories and legends of all the animals that inhabit the desert of Northern Mexico.
⏰ 5 – 6 pm. 📌 Children’s section – Events Room. 🧸 Age suggested: although all ages are welcome, this is a classic guitar concert music. At parents’ discretion 💡 Capacity limited: 50 people.
Originally from Culiacán, Mexico, guitarist Alan Guerra studied his Bachelor’s studies in Mexico City at the Higher School of Music of the National Fine Arts Institute. After that, he graduated with a Master’s Degree at the Sibelius Academy, where he studied with Petri Kumela.
Guerra’s versatile style has allowed him to play on numerous Finnish stages, delivering classical and folk concerts.
Don’t miss the program he’s prepared for his concert at the Día de Muertos – Family Day!
- Luciérnagas, by Ernesto García de León.
- Armadillo, by Gabriela Maravilla.
- Cachora, by Nubia Jaime DonJuan.
- Crotalus tigris, by Valeria Montoya.
- Dipodomys, by Isaac Mireles.
- Peregrine, by Carlos Arellano.
- Escarabajo, by Ángel Mireles Flores.
- Corwiguro, by Andrea Chamizo Alberro.
- Borrego, by Luisa Luévano.
- Monstruo de Gila, by Juan Vázquez.
- Y-kshtúu, by Jorge Torres Sáenz.
- Venado azul, by Iván López Pineda.
- Alacrán, by Itzam Zapata.
- Zorillo pigmeo, by Paulina A. Monteón.
We look forward to seeing you in Somero and Oodi Library! Dont’ miss Ninho’s activities to explore the Día de Muertos tradition, while remembering all the people that will have a huge space in our hearts, and helping them return home, just for one day.
Día de Muertos – Family Day is a Kulttuurikeskus Ninho ry production in cooperation with Oodi and Nite Labs Ltd. Ninho is supported by City of Helsinki, Svenska Kulturfonden and Taike.
Image design: Mariana Núñez Sánchez (MX).
Multimedia art coordinator: Julio Orduña Sánchez (MX).
Storytelling sessions’ coordinator: Alicia Sevilla (MX).