Oct. 23 – Officials hope that Decatur’s first downtown celebration for next month’s holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) will turn into a major event, prompting several local residents to says it draws attention to cultures that are often overlooked. Citywide.
Juan Penuelas, a Decatur police officer, said it was a great way to embrace Hispanic influences in the city.
“I love this holiday….it’s one of my favorites,” said Penuelas. “Holidays are primarily about remembering loved ones who have passed away. It’s a tradition, a great Mexican tradition.”
The city’s Dia de los Muertos event will be held on November 2nd from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm on the block between Lee Street and East Moulton Street.
Dede Quarry is president of the Downtown Decatur Merchants Association, one of the organizations coordinating the event, and she hopes it will become an annual celebration.
“We want to see what the reaction will be and hopefully grow from there. The closest[similar celebration]is to Birmingham,” Quarry said.
The Carnegie Carnival is a Mardi Gras-themed event that began in 2012 and culminates in a downtown parade that draws an estimated 8,000 people in February.
The Decatur City Council voted Monday in favor of the Dia de los Muertos event, allocating $5,000.
Penuelas said he is happy the city will host an event to celebrate his legacy.
“I think it’s great that people are trying to do this. You can learn about our culture. People are always willing to teach others,” he said. “Because it’s a Mexican holiday, it’s not celebrated as predominantly here as it is in Mexico.”
Precious metal jewelry artist Ana Maria Andricain, who moved to Decatur four years ago, said Día de los Muertos is a holy day in her parents’ home country of Cuba, and the festival is a great idea for Decatur. I think.
“This really includes groups of people that the city doesn’t normally reach out to,” Andrikain said.
Penuelas said it is a day to honor the dead.
“There was more to celebrating them than mourning them,” he said.
According to Peñuelas, people give anything they loved while they were alive to the deceased.
“There’s an altar for the family, there’s a picture of them, you give them a renda. It’s like an offering,” he said. “In Mexico, it’s such a big tradition. Go to the cemetery, Ofrenda, give all the offerings and give the deceased his favorite drink.”
Quarry said he hopes more people will attend the event, including the Hispanic community.
“We also want to educate … whoever wants to come. A lot of the purpose is to educate them,” she said.
The downtown area is in Alderman Kyle Pike’s Second District. He said the celebration would be a nice addition to the city.
“(It’s) another cultural event to draw people from all over the city,” he said. “I think people of all ages and backgrounds will participate. I think we need to embrace all the aspects that make up our community.”
Pike said this will be a quality-of-life event, like other events held downtown.
“It’s for people to go out and enjoy their time and go downtown with friends and family. It makes the community closer,” he said. and get the chance to meet other people you wouldn’t normally meet within your own circle.”
The quarry said it will have food trucks, music and a community altar.
“For the community altar, people are asked to bring something to remember their deceased loved ones,” she said. “
Penuelas was the third Hispanic officer hired by the Decatur Police Department 20 years ago. He was named Community Hero of the Game by the Tennessee Titans this month among hundreds of nominees, and he was honored for one of their football games.
Other partners hosting the event include the Alabama Center for the Arts, The Princess Theater, Decatur City Schools, the Decatur Morgan County Tourism Authority and the Decatur Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, Qualley said. She expects about 2,000 people to attend the event.
—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460. Her staff her writer Bayne Hughes contributed to this article.
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