Halloween at the Smithsonian

I know I'm about a week too late, but I was excited to come across an article about Halloween celebrations at the Smithsonian!  The museum offers day and night activities at the museum in D.C. and also provides virtual celebrations for those who cannot attend. "Halloween Changes Its Disguise:  Has the Witching Season Grown Up?" is one of the various activities offered at the Smithsonian on Halloween.  Here, Daniel Gifford, author of American Holiday Postcards, 1905-1915:  Imagery and Context, spoke about how sexy female costumes were popular long before modern women started wearing them.  Halloween postcards showcasing sexy witches were popular in the early 20th century.  He spoke about these postcards and how the holiday has changed and stayed the same over time.  

One virtual Halloween activity that was offered was "Monsters Are Real,"  The Biodiversity Heritage Center explored books, stories, and animals that inspired popular monsters. They updated their Facebook and Twitter pages so fans could follow along with their posts on this topic.  The Smithsonian also provided Day of the Dead virtual celebrations through their Latino Virtual Museum.  Users could join live events via the Latino Centers UStream channel or build their own   3D virtual altars though the avatar based virtual world, Second Life. Sandra Cisneros, author and creator of "A Room of Her Own:  My Mother's Alter,"  honored her mother who only had a room of her own the last 10 years of her life through this exhibit.  The exhibit told her mother's story with a Dia de Muertos theme and runs until the beginning of January.

At the museum, the Smithsonian Gardens offered Ghoulish Gardens.  This exhibit displayed creepy, odd-looking plants in celebration of Halloween.  Plants like the Himalayan Balanaphora, similar to a toadstool, and the Tacca chantrieri, with black flowers and long whiskers, were showcased for visitors.  The museum also placed doll's eyes to follow visitors in the Bird Garden.  The museum posted pictures on their Facebook page for fans that could not attend.

Here's the link to the article:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ghoulish-gigs-galore-all-to-explore-180953153/

I've never thought about attending a museum on Halloween!  I will definitely be watching out for events like this time next year.