The Beauty of Day of the Dead: Photographer captures downtown festival
Photos and bilingual story by Ileana Acevedo
On Nov. 3, downtown El Paso hosted a festival to commemorate the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos or, The Day of the Dead. Although the borderland has always had a close connection to this tradition, movies like Disney’s “Coco” have also brought Dia de los Muertos into the mainstream culture.
Those who attended were dressed colorfully as catrines or catrinas including many Americans. From this photographer’s lens, it was interesting how to see the American culture has adopted the Mexican traditions, as they echo across the border. At this festival, I saw two different cultures celebrate this tradition.
En Español:
El pasado 3 de noviembre, el centro del paso tubo el festival de las calaveras en conmemoración al Día de los Muertos. Tradición que es mexicana y la cual se celebra en todo el pais de Mexico.
Aquellos de los que asistieron estaban caracterizados como catrines o catrinas incluyendo a muchos americanos, es interesante como ver la cultura mexicana adopta las tradiciones mexicanas y mas por el hecho de que estamos en la frontera.
En este tipo de festivales puedes ver 2 culturas no tan diferentes unidas en la celebración de una tradición. fue una experiencia totalmente impresionante porque puedes ver como tienen en mente la percepción de otra cultura y como se adaptan tan bien al recibirla y vivirla.
Captions
IMG_1014.JPG: A lady is dresses as a catrina in the skulls festival Nov. 3 in downtown El Paso.
IMG101new.jpg: A young woman dresses as a Montezuma from Mexico, with her crown of feathers and her indigenous outfit.
IMG1018new.jpg: An American family celebrates the Dia de los Muertos along the border.
IMG_1050.JPG:. A band of young people plays at the carnival
IMG_1059.JPG: A beautiful and larger-than-life sculpture of a catrina is paraded by the kids of the carnival.
IMG_1074.JPG: Little girls dress in the traditional Mexican outfit as they dance and march through the parade.
IMG_1096.JPG: An elegant and classic car rolls down the street at the festival. This model was put on display along with other classic cars, but it stood out for its detailed design.
IMG_1002.JPG: An alter is adorned with candles, flowers and images of the deceased. This piece is by artist Jose Guadalupe.
IMG_0998.JPG: A family of catrines poses for the camera on Nov. 3 in the downtown El Paso.
IMG_0993.JPG: A child sits atop his father to see the sights of the Dia de los Muertos festival.
