Dia de los Muertos celebration comes to Detroit riverfront

Music, dancing and colors filled the Detroit riverfront's Robert C. Valade Park on Saturday.

Community members gathered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park's shed to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This marked the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy's third time holding the event honoring the annual Mexican holiday on Nov. 1-2 that dates to the Aztecs and Mayans. The first day of the holiday, which is a celebration of the dead, is traditionally devoted to remembering deceased children and the second day to adults.

"We really try to embrace the culture and celebrate it here on the riverfront," said Renee Rodriguez, program manager for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

The free event featured a dance performance by Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Izel and children's storytelling, as well as live music from Adel Ruelas, featuring Luna, and a Tacos del Barrio food truck.

Vendors sold artisan products from Mexico, including clothing and accessories. Organizers said some of the proceeds from the sales at the event would go to supporting indigenous communities in Mexico.

Leticia Grijalva, 44, of Detroit, is of Mexican descent and brought her two children to honor their Mexican American heritage, she said.

"For me, it was important, especially for my kids, to get them to learn more about their culture," Grijalva said.

Grijalva enjoyed the event and plans to return next year, she said.

Volunteers passed out Pan de Muertos, or bread of the dead, along with signs explaining the bread's traditional significance. Pan de Muertos is a type of Mexican sweet bread made to honor deceased loved ones, a symbol of life and death. The event featured two kinds of bread, one with sesame seeds and another dyed pink/red.

This event represents the positive transformation of the Detroit riverfront, said Audrey Humphrey, volunteer for the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

"I love this. I love what the riverfront has done, especially as a child who remembered the factories, the Uniroyal Tire, and the poor air quality — it smelled," Humphrey said. "But to see how this has been turned around, it's incredible."

Humphrey plans to retire to Mexico and enjoys learning about Mexican American culture, she said.

The event provides organizers an opportunity to raise awareness of the Day of the Dead, Rodriguez said.

"It's really great to be able to educate people on what it is, and people, I think, have really embraced it," Rodriguez said of attendees who may not be aware of the holiday and its meaning.

This also includes an ofrenda to honor deceased loved ones. The ofrenda will remain open at The Shed at Robert C. Valade Park from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Nov. 6.

"It's a community altar, it's meant to be interactive with people," Rodriguez said.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy plans to continue the tradition next year, with goals to continue expanding the event.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Music, colors feature at Detroit Day of the Dead celebration