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Valley residents gather to honor, celebrate loved ones |
| Name: |
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El Dorado Restaurant |
| Date Posted: |
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Nov 4, 07 - 4:49 AM |
| Where are you from? |
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Palmdale |
| Message: |
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DESERT TREASURES - Members of dance group Ballet Folklorico Tesoro Del Desierto perform dances from northern Mexico on Sunday during the Dia de los Muertos celebration at Poncitlan Square in Palmdale. This year's event was presented by the Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with El Dorado Restaurant. The celebration was intended to help families and friends remember loved ones who have passed on. Attendees built altars in honor of family members and friends. Organizers hope to make the Dia de los Muertos celebration a community tradition, and they are ready to plan next year's event.
GENE BRECKNER/Valley Press
Community fetes Dia de los Muertos
Valley residents gather to honor, celebrate loved ones
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Monday, October 29, 2007.
By AMIRA SEYOUM
Valley Press Staff Writer
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PALMDALE - Hundreds of Valley residents gathered Sunday at Poncitlan Square to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the day of the dead.
The event was presented for the first time by the Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with El Dorado Restaurant, which supplied food for the event.
"This celebration in the Valley originally started seven years ago," said Robert Alvarado, co-chairman of the event.
"It started with the Mexican American Political Association, and then, for some reason, they stopped doing it for a few years. This is the first year the chamber is doing it without being affiliated with MAPA."
Dia de los Muertos is a time for families and friends to remember loved ones who have passed on.
"It's a time to reflect on the warm and happy memories and celebrate, rather than mourning their death.
"We are going to celebrate with music, food and memories," Alvarado said.
Along with celebration through food, music and sharing memories, altars were made in remembrance of those who have passed on.
Marina Ortiz, wife of Vietnam War veteran Manuel Ortiz, made an altar to honor her husband. The altar held collages, framed pictures, movies and his favorite meal.
"This is to remember by my husband. He died a little over a year ago from an agent that was sprayed to knock out trees in the war. It affected the soldiers and is what he eventually died from," Ortiz said.
Next to Ortiz's altar was an altar where family placed items in honor of Ruben Espinosa.
"These items are to help you remember your loved one. They are things that used to bring them joy, because we are here to celebrate the good times," Alvarado said.
More than 40 vendors participated in the event.
Entertainment also was provided. International band La Internacional Sonora Show, Antelope Valley High School salsa dancers and singer Erica Rico were just some of the names that performed during the all-day event.
The event began with welcomes and a moment of silence for the dead.
Elena Montgomery, event co-chairwoman, and Alvarado are ready to plan next year's Dia de los Muertos event and hope to make it a community tradition.
"We got a lot of support from the community. We are excited to have this event to help keep the Hispanic-Latino culture alive," Alvarado said.
"We also proudly welcome the entire community to come join us in any of our celebrations," Alvarado said. "We are all so alike and have so many similarities that one of our goals is to focus on the positive and try to bring the community together."
aseyoum@avpress.com |
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