- The City of Shafter celebrated the traditional Mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos for the first time as a community. The event was held by the Shafter Library and Learning Center and featured art installations, live performances, vendors and community partners.
- Irene Montoya, the Library and Learning Center's manager, was the spark behind the event and said she was thankful the community came out in full force when preparing for the event.
- While the event was a celebration, it was also educational with organizers teaching the public about the different states of Mexico and how Dia De Los Muertos is celebrated in communities across Mexico.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Thursday is the culmination of Dia De Los Muertos, a two day holiday that celebrates the reunification of the living and the dead.
This is first time the City of Shafter is holding an organized celebration of the traditional Mexican holiday and the idea came from someone at the Shafter Library and Learning Center.
"It was the brainchild of Irene Montoya, our manager, to have an event around Dia de los Muertos and she really pulled this off and along with our teacher, our art teacher, Nancy Becerra, who's kind of made the space made the space beautiful," said David Franz, the Shafter Education Partnership Director.
The event featured an ofrenda where community members could remember their loved ones, an art show and much more. For Montoya the importance of this event reaches far beyond the bounds of Kern County
“I wanted to have this just to really because we have such a high Hispanic population in Shafter have — bring a little bit of home to Shafter," said Montoya. "Family traditions from the past, it's nice to bring it up and to, you know, point it out and and bring awareness to that and just really showcase how beautiful this is.”
While any first time event of this scale expects some bumps in the road, Montoya said the community came out in full force to make sure this event came to fruition
“I cannot begin to tell you how they just embraced the idea. I got, you know, clubs from — local clubs that were like, yeah, we’ll sponsor you, we’ll sponsor this, this and this.”
Though the event is meant as a celebration, it is still a Library and Learning Center which is why Montoya and other organizers made a point to showcase the history and the importance of this event all across Mexico..
“We are going to have a display outside where we're talking about each and every single state of Mexico and how this is celebrated in very unique ways in each state," said Montoya. "I hope that everyone learns how beautiful this is. And to celebrate life, you know, whether you're passed on or if you're still living. Life is so — it's such a gem.”
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