Lehi residents are invited to learn about and celebrate their ancestors during the Dia de Muertos event at Thanksgiving Point this Saturday.

“The point is for everyone to learn about their own ancestors and incorporate that into a celebration of family,” said Nassari Alaverez Everett, Signature Experiences Manager at Thanksgiving Point. Everett oversees a committee of dedicated women who volunteer each year to make the Day of the Deadevent at the Thanksgiving Point Show Barn a success. 

“We had the first Dia de Muertos event at Thanksgiving Point in 2013 and at the time it was the only large-scale celebration of its kind,” said Everett. This year the Day of the Dead event at the Show Barn is Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. “We’re having it early enough that people can get ideas about how to celebrate Dia de Muertos on November 1.”

Dia de Muertos is a Mexican tradition that combines Catholic and indigenous beliefs about life after death. It is believed to be the one day a year the gates of heaven open, allowing deceased children and adults to come back to their families on earth to enjoy eating, dancing, and singing together. It is traditionally celebrated for two days.

“Genealogy is something that is familiar to many people in Utah and Day of the Dead is a great opportunity to learn more about our ancestors,” Everett continued. “We’re inviting everyone, no matter where their ancestors come from, to come…