The LIVING pay tribute to the DEAD
By Erin Golden / The Bulletin
Published: November 02. 2009 4:00AM PST
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People chat and sample food near a display of colorful decorations at Sunday afternoon’s Día de los Muertos festival at the Domino Room in Bend. The event, which is celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries, is a time to remember loved ones with gatherings of friends and family and altars decorated with photos, flowers and food.
Photos by Andy Tullis / The Bulletin
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For Bend resident José Martinez, the first two days of November are among the most important of the year.
Like many people with roots in Mexico and regions of Central and South America, Martinez, 30, spends the days remembering friends and family members who have passed away by lighting candles and creating altars that include displays of photos, flowers and food.
The tradition, known as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), combines the religious observances of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, respectively, with other Latin American cultural traditions. For many, Nov. 1 is a day to celebrate the lives of children who have passed away while Nov. 2 is for remembering adults, with celebrations in churches, homes and cemeteries.
“It’s a very good memory day,” Martinez said. “It’s almost like Christmas because everyone is together — family, friends, and there’s food and drinks,” he said. “It’s a very special day.”
On Sunday, dozens of people gathered at the Domino Room in Bend to mark the celebration with food, music and colorful decorations in a Día de los Muertos festival sponsored by two local nonprofit groups, Jobs with Justice and Resources for Human Rights of Central Oregon, an organization aimed at providing support and information to immigrants.
Greg Delgado, the Latino Community Coordinator for Jobs with Justice, said the event was a fundraiser for both groups and a chance to help build the sense of community within Central Oregon’s growing Latino population. In past years, the celebration was hosted by the Latino Community Association.
Several people who turned out for Sunday’s event said they came to learn more about Día de los Muertos traditions.
Giselle Acevedo, 10, of Bend, snapped photos of a colorful altar covered with orange flowers, a stuffed bear and skeleton figurines. She said she was excited to learn about the holiday — and about sampling some of the food.
“I’m hoping to try some soon,” she said, pointing to loaves of fresh-baked bread.
Bend residents Javier Rivas, 68, his wife, Liana Rivas, 63, and his brother, Walter Rivas, 69, said they were interested in finding out about Día de los Muertos in Mexico and comparing it to the traditions they knew from South America.
Javier and Walter, who were originally from Peru, and Liana, from Brazil, all said the Mexican celebrations seem much livelier than the ones in their countries.
In Brazil, Liana Rivas said, Nov. 2 is a national holiday, but more of a time for personal reflection, without music or public celebrations.
“Nobody works — the country stops,” she said. “But it’s not this elaborate.”
Magdalena Martinez, 39, of Bend, said she sees the ritual as a time for many emotions.
“It’s kind of mixed,” she said. “You get sad because you remember the people that you loved and they died, but it’s also a celebration.”
Martinez was one of a handful of people who cooked mole — a Mexican sauce made with chiles, ground nuts, chocolate and spices, among other ingredients — for a cook-off competition at the event.
Renee Sanchez, 30, of Bend, was serving as a judge. As she lifted the lids of the pots of mole, she breathed in deeply.
“The aroma — I definitely smell for the chiles,” she said. “And the texture.”
Whether people celebrate at church or at home, alone or with large groups of friends and family, Angela Juarez, 46, the president of Resources for Human Rights of Central Oregon, said the event is important.
“Today is a big day for a lot of people,” she said.
Erin Golden can be reached at 541-617-7837 or at egolden@bendbulletin.com.
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