Halloween Happenings at UMaine

ORONO – October is quickly coming to an end, and that means Halloween is just around the corner. Halloween festivities coming up at the University of Maine:

. Witter Farm will host stall-to-stall trick-or-treating for children of all ages 6-8 p.m. Halloween night, Oct. 31, at the farm. Children will have a chance to meet the University of Maine horses, some of which are expected to be in their own Halloween costumes.

. The Maine Folklife Center offers a collection of Halloween stories, including oral histories of holiday traditions in Maine and stories about haunted dormitories on campus. For information, call Pauleena MacDougall or Pamela Dean at 581-1891.

. The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican tradition to honor family members and loved ones who have died. The holiday combines Pre-Columbian and post-contact traditions and celebrates the continuation of life and the belief that death is not an end, but the beginning of a new stage of life.

This year’s celebration at the University of Maine will be held Nov. 3 at Memorial Union’s Bangor Room. The event will be led by students from the Universidad de los Americas in Puebla, Mexico, and Associate Dean of Students Angel Loredo will discuss this tradition, its origins and how it is celebrated in Mexico. Traditional refreshments will be served, including Day of the Dead bread and punch.

The program also will feature offrendas, or altars, that are decorated in memory of deceased individuals. The event is sponsored by UMaine’s Office of Student Affairs and the Hudson Museum, Maine Center for the Arts and is geared for middle and high school students and Spanish classes. It is appropriate for ages 6 and up. Space is limited to 100 students and reservations are required. To obtain information or to make a reservation, call Brett at 581-1901.