On Thursday, November 2nd from 5 PM to 8 PM, Lincoln County community members gathered at the Newport Performing Arts Center to celebrate the Day of the Dead with food, music, dance and activities for the whole family. This event was hosted by Olalla Center’s Arcoíris Cultural in collaboration with the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts and Ballet Folklórico Herencia Mexicana.
While Day of the Dead is a time for reflection on the memory of those we have lost, it is also a time for celebrating culture and community, something that Arcoíris strives to make possible at every event.
The day started very early as our friends from Herencia Mexicana worked together with our team from Arcoíris Cultural to decorate and prepare the beautiful altar. Throughout the day we worked hard to be ready to welcome our community. As we got closer to the start of the event, Mrs. Priscila from Newport arrived with the pan de muerto (bread of the dead) she had prepared. By that time, we also had three types of traditional drinks prepared: the colada morada from Ecuador, the sweet chilacayote from Guatemala and champurrado from Mexico.
The celebration began at 5 PM when we welcomed the community with a performance of Andean music. Next, our friend Miguel Martínez told us about the meaning and origin of this date that is significant to many Latin American cultures. Several members of the community asked questions and at the same time brought various offerings and photographs of their loved ones to place on the altar.
As the night continued the community enjoyed appetizers prepared by Piquin Chamoy, drinks and pan de muerto. The artistic presentations of the Ballet Folklórico de la Costa de Oregon and the Olin Yolliztli PDX groups filled the PAC stage with vibrant colors and energy.
At the end of the event, many people took one last opportunity to visit the altar and take photos with the artists.
We would like to thank the entire community, artists and volunteers for making this event a tradition and most importantly for honoring our loved ones who, despite no longer being present in this world, always live in our hearts.
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