Paying their respects

In honor of El Día de los Muertos, Resurreción Mexican Folk dance ballet folkorico on Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Downey Civic Theatre. They were one of the biggest teams who danced folkorico on this special day.

Carlos Garcia, Staff Writer
November 12, 2014

On Sunday, Nov. 2, the community and families of Downey gathered together at the second annual Downey Día de los Muertos Art Festival, at the Downey Civic Theatre, to remember and pray for friends and family who have lost their lives.

Although the festival started at 11 a.m., the opening ceremony did not occur until 12 p.m., when mayor Fernando Vasquez started off with a short prayer and speech, thanking the community for coming.

The festival, hosted by the City of Downey, consisted of food trucks, market shops, live music, dancing, face painting, calaveras decorating, a district-wide altar contest, ballet folkorico performances by different folkorico groups around Los Angeles county, and an art gallery presented by the Downey Arts Coalition.

Due to the size of the event, volunteers were needed to keep the festival running smoothly. Senior Leslie Payan, a member of Future Teachers of America, decided to participate.

“I didn’t think it was going to be that big,” Payan said, “But it was really cool and heart-warming to see that so many people showed up with their families for this event and had fun.”

Members of the community enjoyed themselves as well. Alicia Castro, 24, came to the festival with her family, dressed with makeup to look like calaveras, or skulls, to be familiar with the tradition.

“Dressing up with my friends and their kids was great and I think it brought us a bit closer,” Castro stated. “This isn’t an everyday thing with them.”

In the zocalo, or ceremony center, community members danced to local live bands.

“My parents ended up dancing all day and basically abandoned me,” junior Alejandra Mendez said.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an originally Mexican holiday celebrated all throughout the country and other cultures worldwide. It is a day to remember friends and family who have lost their lives. Often, altars are created to remember the dead and people eat foods like pan de muerto. The holiday lands on November 1 but can also be celebrated on November 2.

Overall, the mood of the festival was lively. It not only was a lively time, but it also showed the Downey community what the city had to offer for the subsequent years.

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About the Contributors

Carlos Garcia, Staff Writer

17 year-old Carlos Garcia is an ex-Yearbook staff writer, and a newcomer on The Downey Legend’s writing team. He states that the major deadlines of Yearbook were too much for the then junior; Newspaper’s bi-weekly deadlines impose less stress on Garcia – who is now also juggling ROP classes, kudos to his Teacher Track, a course students can take to prepare for being a teacher. After graduation this year, Teacher Track will send him to Cerritos Community College for two years, where Garcia then hopes to transfer to the California State University of Long Beach. “I’m really hoping that I have more patience than I did before,” Garcia said, “because the track teaches patience for working with children.” Ideally, Garcia wants to be a renowned journalist, for a magazine of some sort; regardless, both jobs require varying levels of patience. Aside from being an aspiring journalist, Garcia is also a Netflix buff, dog enthusiast, Twitter connoisseur, and a music junkie. Garcia claims music is a huge part of his life, with his eclectic music taste ranging from garage rock artist Mac Demarco to rapper Azealia Banks. Since childhood, Garcia was a reserved person, preferring pencils and notebooks over the latest Nintendo. Leisure time consists of staying at home, cozying up to movies with his dogs Princess and Foxy. Still, Garcia plans to finish off senior year with a big bang: put on his best outgoing attitude, show off all his school spirit, and get the word out about The Downey Legend. With goals set in stone, Garcia is already looking like a promising addition to the 2014-2015 Downey Legend staff.

Cynthia Guerrero, Co-Photo Editor

Cynthia Guerrero has joined The Downey Legend for the first time, during her senior year, as a photographer. Last year she was in Photojournalism, but this year she signed up for Newspaper. Guerrero got into Newspaper by first applying to Yearbook and then switching to The Downey Legend. Guerrero felt that Yearbook was not something she wanted to pursue, so she moved classes to gain a different experience. “Newspaper fit better on my schedule than Yearbook did,” Guerrero stated.

Guerrero states that she wants to be an Ultrasound technician or go to a four-year university to major in cosmetology. To Guerrero, college is something she does not want to spend her money on if it is something that is not worth spending. “I don’t care as long as it’s worth it,” Guerrero stated. Some of Guerrero’s hobbies are singing, listening to music, hanging with friends, shopping, and being on YouTube. In five to ten years she has big plans. “Living on my own, studying college, opening my salon for hair and eyebrows,” Guerrero works hard to accomplish her goals, she will get there with her determination.