6 things you can do to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Columbus

Monroe Trombly, The Columbus Dispatch
·4 min read
Aliandra Robertson, center, waves to people on the sidewalk Sept. 17, during the first Columbus Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month parade.
Aliandra Robertson, center, waves to people on the sidewalk Sept. 17, during the first Columbus Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month parade.

While Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month has been well underway in Columbus since its kickoff on Sept. 15, plenty of local events are still planned this week and next to celebrate U.S. Latinos, their culture and history.

Running through Oct. 15 each year, what at first began in 1968 as a weeklong commemoration under President Lyndon Johnson was expanded to 30 days by President Ronald Reagan. When signing the bill that made it official, Reagan praised the Hispanic focus on family.

“As the great poet Octavio Paz has said: ‘In Hispanic morals, the true protagonist is the family,’” Reagan said. "I fear that too often, in the mad rush of modern American life, some people have not learned the great lesson of our Hispanic heritage: the lesson of family and home and church and community.”

September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on Sept. 15, 1821, according to Lewis and Clark College. In addition, Mexico, Chile, and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18, and September 21, respectively.

Yarianis Garcia dances with friend Lani Lino during a gathering on Sept. 17, at City Hall at the end of the first Columbus Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month parade.
Yarianis Garcia dances with friend Lani Lino during a gathering on Sept. 17, at City Hall at the end of the first Columbus Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month parade.

In recent decades, more and more people who identify as Hispanic are making Columbus their home. Of the city's 905,748 residents counted in the 2020 census, nearly 8% identified as Hispanic, a 58% increase from 2010.

Here's six ways to celebrate Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month:

Learn more about Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month

Hosted by the Columbus City Council, this educational panel on Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month is being held from 6-7:30 p.m. today at 90 W. Broad St.

Ever wanted to learn how to salsa dance? Now's your time

Wednesdays are for dancing. Latin City Wednesdays are being held each Wednesday at the Emerald City Ballroom, 2809 Festival Lane in Dublin, during Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month. Salsa lessons are from 8 to 9 p.m., and dancing lasts until midnight. General admission is $15. Open dancing is $10.

Visit an authentic Mexican restaurant

As The Dispatch learned from its Mobile Newsroom initiative, Columbus is home to a number of Mexican restaurants, many of which are on the Hilltop. Some of our favorites from our time on Columbus' West Side include El Jaliciense, El Ranchito Taqueria, and La Super Torta.

Observe Hispanic Restaurant Week

On that note, be sure to visit at least one of the more than 20 local Hispanic restaurants participating in Hispanic Restaurant Week, which runs from Oct. 10 through Oct. 16. A list of the restaurants can be found at holarestaurantweek.com

Attend a Day of the Dead festival

Organized by Latino Arts for Humanity, a free Day of the Dead festival will be held at Green Lawn Cemetery, 1000 Greenlawn Ave., on Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature art exhibitions, music, cultural performers, vendors and food trucks serving authentic Mexican food.

Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, is typically a two-day holiday, held each year on Nov. 1 and 2. Families typically create altars, or ofrendas, to honor family members who have died. The altars are decorated with photos of the deceased, their favorite foods and drinks and often yellow marigold flowers, believed to be pathways that guide spirits to their ofrendas.

Models display dresses with Day of the Dead motifs designed by vendors of bridal and teenager dresses in downtown Mexico City on October 28, 2021.
Models display dresses with Day of the Dead motifs designed by vendors of bridal and teenager dresses in downtown Mexico City on October 28, 2021.

Others celebrate by painting their faces as skulls. Ever seen Coco? The movie takes place during The Day of the Dead. Same goes for the opening sequence of the James Bond film "Spectre."

Attend art exhibition thrown by Latinx artists

"Diálogos" at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St., features work by seven Latinx artists and runs through Nov. 20. According to the event description, each artist explores their experiences of being a Latinx artist in America while addressing themes of dislocation, integration, cultural identity, and politics.

Opening night for the "Raices/Roots" art exhibit at Wild Goose Creative, 188 McDowell St., in Franklinton will be held Oct. 14. Doors open at 6 p.m. and close at 11 p.m. The exhibit will run through Nov. 2. The opening reception also will serve as closing night for Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month in Columbus.

Bonus: See more great art

On view at the Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St., through Dec. 30, Carlos Motta's "Your Monsters, Our Idols," features the premiere of the Columbian-born artist's first multichannel sound installation, "The Assembly," which was supported by a Wexner Center Artist Residency Award.

USA Today contributed to this report.

Monroe Trombly covers breaking and trending news.

mtrombly@dispatch.com

@monroetrombly

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 6 things you can do to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Columbus