Red Deerians could honour their ancestors and lost loved ones through an inaugural Day of the Dead celebration.
Central Alberta Inclusive Latin Association (CAILA), which is a newer organization, held its first-ever Red Deer Day of the Dead celebration at The Flex in the city's downtown on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Through Day of the Dead, known as Dia De Los Muertos, there is a tradition of building altars, which is used to encourage visits by the souls of the departed so they can hear the prayers and messages from the living.
Saturday's celebration featured an altar, as well as live entertainment, face-painting, a screening of the film Coco and more. Following the family-themed event in the afternoon, there was an adult-focused celebration at Chilibong's Bar and Grill in the evening.
CAILA president William Siliezar, who is originally from El Salvador, noted Day of the Dead celebrations can differ from country to country.
"The Day of the Dead became more mainstream because of the celebration in Mexico, but it's a tradition you'll see in pretty much every Latin America country," said Siliezar.
"In Mexico they do a big celebration with the creation of an altar, where you place a picture of the deceased and you add their favourite food or drink. In other cultures it's slightly different. In El Salvador it's similar, but there's less focus on placing an altar in the home and there's a visit to the cemetery. Once everyone's there, people are cleaning up their deceased's (grave), decorating it and repainting it. People have the favourite food or drinks (of the departed) right there in the cemetery — it becomes a celebration."
Day of the Dead is a longstanding Latin American tradition that is held on Nov. 1-2. Organizing this Red Deer celebration has been a year-long process, Siliezar noted.
"My partner and I started a food truck company called Sabor Latino. One thing we found out was that there wasn't enough exposure to the Latino culture and heritage here in Red Deer," Siliezar said.
"For about a year now, we've been putting on little Latin markets. That was a way to start gathering the Latino community — we were able to learn who owns a small business or who is into dancing and singing. ... This whole year has been about gathering that information and now we can put together a celebration to highlight our culture."
Siliezar said there is a long history of Latino people migrating to Central Alberta.
"Despite that, there hasn't been a huge culture exposure," said Siliezar.
"Many members of Central Alberta Inclusive Latin Association are newer to Canada and were thinking, 'Why isn't the Latino community connected?' Each of us can input a little bit of our history and pass the knowledge on to people who are interested. We have first- and second-generation Latinos living in Red Deer who are business owners and settled here — they haven't had a chance to celebrate the Latino culture because they were never immersed in it. You can never learn to grow if you don't remember where you've come from."
People from all backgrounds were invited to take part in the Day of the Dead celebration.
"We've got really nice feedback from people from other cultures as well," Siliezar said.
"If you are interested in our culture, our history and our heritage, you can become part of the Central Alberta Inclusive Latin Association. We're here to teach you about the different ways you can celebrate our festivities."
For more information on the association, visit www.facebook.com/CentralAlbertaInclusiveLatinAssociation.
