Bright fabrics and colorfully painted skulls shone through the gloom of downtown Long Beach after the downpour of rain on Saturday, at the Dia De Los Muertos block party on Pine and Seventh Street.
From 2 to 6 p.m., attendees came to enjoy the festivities; from eating authentic Mexican food, to listening to some traditional live music.
“This is the first time that we did the event in the city of Long Beach…[but] the event has been around for eleven years,” event coordinator and manager Eva Melgarejo said. “It’s really to educate the community on the origins of Dia De Los Muertos. You see a lot of the young generation with the makeup of Catrinas, but they might not know what is behind that amazing makeup.”
Roxana Romero applies classic Dia de los Muertos face paint to three year old Isaac Gonzalez, who attended the Block Party festival with his parents.
The streets were lined with food trucks and different booths that promoted community action and awareness, sold traditional and non-traditional Mexican items and apparel and catered food from local Mexican restaurants.
In the middle of the event, there was a beer garden, and at the end of the strip, there was a large stage where organized youth groups performed traditional Mexican folk songs and dance. Starting at 5:30 p.m., Mexican rock and indie bands took the stage and performed until 10 p.m.
Along with the food and retail booths, many community awareness and protection organizations set up tents in an attempt to educate local attendees about problems in the community.
Some of these issues included infant lead-poisoning, youth job training, immigration services for the community and community emergency response volunteering.
“I think that you need to spread awareness at any event,” Melgarejo said. “[During] any opportunity that you have.”
Many of the spectators had never actually celebrated the holiday before, but wanted to learn more about its meaning and background.
“I was just interested in the culture and to see what I could find out with all the information here. It’s just a new experience for me to come down here,” Long Beach local Erick Ponce said.
Sitting along the side of the street in an empty lot, was an altar-making competition. The entries consisted of decorated, home-made shrines cloaked in vibrant, colorful cloths and covered with offerings and memorabilia to commemorate the life of a family member who had died.
“Usually, when someone passes away in Mexican culture, you go through the grieving process, and it’s very dark,” contestant Mayra Navarrete said. “Once you’ve come to an understanding that [death will happen] you can move forward in life.”