LAFAYETTE, La. — Haga clic aquí para leer este artículo en español
It was a gorgeous Saturday at Lafayette Square as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana kicked off its 7th annual Dia de los Muertos festival. It was the first time the festival, which started in Jefferson Parish, was held at the Square.
“The foot traffic has been fantastic,” said Mayra Pineda, President and CEO of the HCCL. She explained that the new venue was picked to bring in a bigger and more diverse crowd. “We have a mission with our community to promote culture and bring people together,” she said.
The festival was also a chance for local Hispanic vendors to shine. Juan and Silvia Asturias own Sterling Silvia, a jewelry store in the French Quarter, where they sell goods imported from their native Guatemala. “It’s like a labor of love for my family to go to these villages and find these people,” said their daughter Cristy Cali of the artisans that make the bags, accessories, and knickknacks. “You’re buying something that you can’t find online or on the market.” The food vendors drew long lines and sold out shortly before the festival ended.
There were also activities for children, a rotation of live bands, and an ofrenda, a type of altar where people were encouraged to leave offerings and photos of deceased loved ones. Through Dia de los Muertos traditions like the ofrenda, the festival serves to educate people unfamiliar with the holiday. “It is a Catholic celebration, we’re celebrating the people that left before us and we’re honoring them today,” said Pineda.
Many showed up to the festival with flowers in their hair and elaborate face paint or masks of skulls. The motif is not meant to be a reminder of death, rather “a symbol that helps to remind us that our life is not eternal,” and thus a celebration of life.
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