Portland Mercado and 350PDX Celebrate Dia de los Muertos
Thelogian Thomas Berry wrote, “The era we are leaving behind, was when the earth was at its “most lyrical,” when songbirds, flowering plants, and the great families of mammals flourished.” With so much loss of song, color, life, and culture, there was a lot to offer on alters of remembrance this year.
Last Friday, October 30, we built candy coral reefs, made masks, got our faces painted, and celebrated Dia de los Muertos together at Portland Mercado. Over 100 kids and parents came to do arts and crafts and celebrate together.
One coral reef builder uses the awesome power of marshmallows to build a mock coral reef
We learned about the health of coral reefs by building them out of marshmallows, twizzlers, Nutella, popcorn and candy sprinkles. We learned about endangered birds by playing their songs and then guessing which bird the song belonged to. We talked about Portland’s proposed fossil fuel policy and what families can do about climate change. I think my favorite moment was when one mother brought her daughter around the table and explained to her the bleached coral and the disappearing bird populations and the impact it has on workers and families. The girl went over to the iPad with her fingers full of Nutella and sprinkles and held on to Berry’s earth at its “most lyrical.”
