YouAlberta
Do you miss home? This is a question I get asked often whenever I tell people I recently moved to Canada. And the answer is that although I enjoyed being in a new country, I miss my culture and people.
As someone who moved away from home to study at university, it is important for me to acknowledge and practice my heritage, to feel connected to home. Even when I am away from home, keeping my identity and culture alive allows me to express myself as I am, and reminds me that each of us is connected to a broader community and brings a unique perspective.
In my daily activities, I engage in cultural practices that help me feel connected to home. Dancing and singing are fun ways to connect with my culture. I enjoy playing my favourite songs and dancing some salsa, bachata, and reggaeton. Singing the lyrics of “mariachi” songs out loud makes me feel like I am fifteen again, dancing at a family reunion in Mexico.
Cooking is one of the main ways in which I practice my heritage. Many of the main dishes in Latin America are influenced by Indigenous traditions and have corn as one of their primary ingredients. For example, Mexico’s “tacos” and “tostadas” are prepared with corn tortillas, Colombia and Venezuela’s “arepas” are prepared with corn, and Peru’s “tamales” too. When I am not too busy finishing assignments, I like to prepare my favourite Mexican dishes. Washing the green tomatoes and serrano peppers to prepare the “salsa verde” (green sauce) to make “enchiladas” reminds me of the times when I helped my mom cook on the weekends; I feel close to home. Sharing the traditional Mexican food that I prepare with my friends at university is a nice way to share the diversity of my culture, while I broaden others’ perspectives on international dishes.
Reading is a great resource to connect with the stories from home. I enjoy reading novels by Latin American authors, especially those that have their setting in a historical event; there is always something to learn from the stories of those who came before us. One of my favourite books that I have read to connect with home is “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” by the Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. I enjoyed reading this book because the plot of this novel is situated in Macondo, a fictional village that resembles the town I used to visit on vacations growing up.
One way I connect with home is by celebrating “Día de los Muertos” (Day of the Death). Día de los Muertos is a traditional Mexican celebration, but it is also observed in other parts of Latin America. It is celebrated from October 31 to November 2; this tradition combines Indigenous Aztec customs with the catholic tradition. Día de los Muertos is a colourful festivity to celebrate and honour family members and friends who passed away. Each family sets an “ofrenda” (altar) which includes pictures, personal belongings, and the favourite foods and drinks of those deceased, along with decorations such as candles and “papel picado” (sheets of thin paper from different colors cut in creative designs). One of the main foods that are set in the “ofrenda” is “pan de muerto,” which is a rounded sweet bread covered with white sugar, with small stripes on top to resemble the bones of a skeleton. Families get together to prepare and eat this bread during the months of October and November.
For Día de los Muertos, gravesites and paths in cemeteries are decorated with cempasúchil flowers, to prepare and guide the path for the deceased to awaken from their sleep, to reunite and celebrate with their loved ones. Some of the symbols and artifacts present in this festivity are colourful handcrafted calacas (skeletons) and calaveras (skulls), made of materials such as clay and porcelain, and even edible ingredients like chocolate or amaranto (a cereal). Día de los Muertos is a celebration to connect with those who left, but also to connect with one another in the community; we get together with family and friends to decorate and set the “ofrenda,” and pick up the cempasúchil flowers.
One of my memories of Dia de los Muertos is setting the ofrenda at elementary school during the month October. Each of us would make and decorate a “calavera” to put it in the altar, it was special to see everyone’s unique art forming part of the group altar; similar to how the tradition is celebrated together with the community.
During the month of October, there are events organized by the Latin American Students’ Association to celebrate Latin Heritage Month. The event of “Día de los Muertos Celebration” is happening on October 29 and combines food, music, and dance from different regions of Latin America with the Dia de los Muertos tradition. Everyone is welcome to participate. Similarly, the Spanish Conversation Club meets weekly on Fridays at Deweys’, from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. Attending the conversation club is a great resource to stay connected with our culture by practicing our first language, while learning different accents of Spanish!
Participating in activities that celebrate the heritage of different cultures is a way to practice multiculturalism and diversity on campus, celebrate our unique backgrounds together and learn from different cultures. This Latin Heritage Month, I wish to learn more about the traditions from other parts of Latin america. You are also invited to this learning journey!
