Hundreds of people paid tribute to their late relatives and friends — and Hispanic culture — at the inaugural Day of the Dead celebration Sunday at Naperville Central High School.
The Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs, or ALMAS, hosted the first-ever event honoring “Dia de los Muertos,” which is traditionally held Nov. 1 and 2 in Mexico and other Latin American countries. During the celebration, family members create altars, or shrines, to their deceased loved ones and decorate their tombs with their favorite foods and other artifacts.
“I think it was a tremendous success,” ALMAS President Lili Burciaga said of the event. “We had a very short time to plan. We had a wonderful turnout. We’re so happy to see people of all different backgrounds come and join us today to be able to not just learn about the different Latino cultures but just celebrate with us.”
ALMAS was founded in April to bring awareness and cultural events to the estimated 10,000 Latinos who live in Naperville. The community organization planned the Day of the Dead celebration in just three weeks, but intend to make it an annual event.
The Naperville Central football field was adorned with “tombs” that people decorated with photos and the favorite snacks and drinks, such as Coca-Cola and tequila, of those in their lives who have died. Four “La Catrinas” sculptures — the tall female skeleton that has become the symbol of Day of the Dead — looked out over the north end zone.
Nearby, traditional Hispanic singers and dancers performed. All around the fest, women with their faces and bodies painted to look like La Catrina walked around and posed for pictures.
“It’s really a commemoration of those who have passed,” Naperville resident Diana Torres Hawken said of the holiday. “In some cultures when somebody passes it can be very sad. What Day of the Dead does is it gives the community an opportunity to willingly, positively bring that memory of that person back.”
Said Elida Sughey Estrada, of Bolingbrook, “The belief is that when you put up an altar to your loved ones, they will come back and then they will be there Nov. 2.”
“So that’s their entry back into this world,” Torres Hawken said. “The idea is they are here amongst us.”
“There are specific elements on the altar so they can smell the food, they can smell the flowers, the candles,” Sughey Estrada said.
An estimated 600 people attended the event Sunday afternoon. Hispanic vendors sold their wares and food as kids decorated paper monarch butterflies and placed them on a mural.
Yenny Munoz-Swaninger, a dual-language kindergarten teacher at Naperville’s River Woods Elementary School, said she was pleased that the event’s children’s area taught Spanish vocabulary.
“This shows the brilliance of our culture,” she said. “We should be worried about our kids growing up in a safe world. But we also need to prepare them for the life that is to come. We’re parents. Eventually we’re going to be gone, and our kids have to be comfortable with the fact that we’re always going to be with them no matter where we are.”
Giles Bruce is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
