“Mourning Customs Across Cultures” is a new exhibit at the Brown House, 301 N Ballard Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday in October and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday in November.  Jeremy Hallock/The Wylie News

Wylie’s historic Victorian Welcome Center, the Brown House, is ready for Halloween. 

Numerous headstones adorn the front lawn and a carriage is primed for a ride with a skeleton in the driver’s seat.

Inside the house, skeletons sit at a table with an enormous spiderweb for a tablecloth. On the table is a giant spider’s exoskeleton and the skeleton of an animal, perhaps a cat. A nearby bowl is filled with several tiny skulls.  

Visitors can see all this and more at the Brown House’ newest exhibit, “Mourning Customs Across Cultures,” open now through the second week of November.

The exhibit is fitting for a Victorian era house during National Hispanic Heritage Month. The show compares the mourning rituals of the Victorians with the celebrations and traditions of Día de los Muertos — Day of the Dead, the holiday of remembrance known for joyful celebration. 

The contrast is anything but subtle. One side of the room offers a glimpse of the use of black clothing as a symbol of grief and the other side offers a celebration of food, drink and colorful decorations. 

By Jeremy Hallock | [email protected]

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