Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - In Mexico, Día de Los Muertos festivities begin on the night of October 31 and continue through November 1st. These are the days when art, religion, life, death, sadness and humor all come together - and there's no better place to experience it than the Puerto Vallarta Public Library.

To keep one of Mexico's oldest traditions alive, every year, Los Mangos Library and Cultural Center hosts a Día de Los Muertos festival, where Puerto Vallarta residents and visitors can enjoy a variety of free family-friendly activities that range from singing, dancing, music and storytelling, to an altar display, art exhibits, a Catrin and Catrina contest, and more.

This year's Day of the Dead festival, set to take place on Friday, November 2 from 7:00-11:00 pm, will also include a Calavera decorating contest to raise money for the library. Here's how it works:

• Stop by Los Mangos, where you will receive one plaster skull for each $150 peso donation.

• Give it Life! - Paint it, decorate it, turn it into your favorite character!

• Bring it back to the library on or before October 25th and fill out a contest entry form.

• Your decorated Calavera will be exhibited in the library, where visitors will be able to buy votes for their favorites until November 2.

• Ballots can be purchased at the library reception desk for two pesos per vote. To be counted, the votes must be deposited in the urn next to your favorite skull.

• Visitors can vote for their favorite skulls as many times as they wish.

• Voting will close at 8:00 pm on November 2. The votes will be counted and the winner will be announced during the library's traditional Day of the Dead Festival.

• Calavera Contest participants must be present to be declared a winner.

• Any controversy will be resolved by the festival organizing committee.

For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

Every peso received from the Calavera contest will support Biblioteca Los Mangos, which is not "just a library," but a true cultural and community center that also serves as a venue for entertaining and educational workshops, art exhibits, concerts, and cultural events.