Coming Soon... Dia de los Muertos Barrio Procession and Nicho Blessing

Monday, November 2, 2009

6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

meet at the Peace and Remembrance Mural

(corner of San Patricio y Trinity)

One of San Anto Cultural Arts' favorite traditions is our annual Dia de los Muertos Barrio Procession with the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative, Inner City Development, and San Jacinto Senior Home honoring victims of domestic violence within our community. This year, in addition to honoring those whose lives have been touched by violence, San Anto will also be blessing and dedicating the restoration of the Nicho para la Virgen de Guadalupe located at the San Jacinto Senior Center.

The way the Dia de los Muertos Barrio Procession works is that it goes in stages from the Peace and Remembrance mural to the San Jacinto Senior Home: 

• At 6:30 p.m., we will start gathering at Peace and Remembrance to start doing face painting and setting up the altar. 
  
• The Peace and Remembrance mural is special to the Dia de los Muertos Barrio Procession because it honors those who have fallen victim to violence in our community by listing their names. Each year we add at least one more name to the wall to honor that person who recently passed. This year the family and friends of a 16 year-old girl who was murdered will speak and give testimony about her life. If there are other names that need to be added to the mural, community members may do so during the prayer by Father Marty and the original poem by a community elder.
• The procession will begin around 7:45 p.m., mas o menos, with the lighting of the luminarias and moving the community mobile altars, which will honor Manny and other community leaders.
• The first stop after the procession begins will be at a Westside home, where champurrado/atole will be served and an original acoustic song will be performed.
• From that home, the procession will continue on to the San Jacinto Senior Home. At San Jacinto Senior Home, participants will enjoy music, food, and street teatro with big puppets. Participants are welcome to bring their ofrendas for the community altar that will be set up there. We will also have Manny's cream-colored station wagon "Tres Leches" on site for people to write down memories or messages to Manny on paper and post them on the car. Finally, we will bless the restoration of the Nicho para la Virgen de Guadalupe. Everything should be wrapping up around 9:30 p.m., mas o menos. 

As you can tell, a lot is going to be going on! Contact Cristina Ordonez or Ruth Buentello with questions at 226-7466. Can't wait to see you in a few weeks!