LUPE is committed to celebrating the culture of all of its members and strives to share these festivities with the community. On November 2nd, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero celebrated its 3rd annual Dia De Los Difuntos event hosted at the Alton LUPE office.
On this day families and communities come together to honor and remember their departed loved ones by creating an altar spread with offerings of your loved one's favorite meals, desserts, objects, and a picture of your deceased loved one.
The Alton office organizing department shared an ofrenda with the community who were welcome to place a picture of their loved one or other mementos. The belief is that the spirits of the departed return to enjoy the essence of these offerings.
While we celebrate a two-day tradition, which originated 3,000 years ago. You may ask yourself why we continue to celebrate and what the importance is of keeping our traditions alive during this time, especially here in the Rio Grande Valley.
With the constant attack on our way of life in the Rio Grand Valley and the demand for change, to conform, to comply with our oppressors.
Our lifestyle, our traditions, our heritage is here to stay as Marco Lopez, Community Organizer at LUPE, states that this event was meant to “welcome the public to a morning of unity in the face of anti-immigrant sentiment, with our president extending the border wall and our governor attempting to criminalize families. “We cannot live in fear; we cannot let them win. By not encouraging our traditions and heritage, we have shown that we are no longer the majority but the minority. It is not a crime to celebrate our loved ones, and it is not a crime to preserve what is ours!
At LUPE, we create a safe space for families, regardless of status, race, or background. We invited the public for an afternoon of communion and celebration, featuring a performance provided by matachines (Danza San Jose) and a catrin or catrina contest.
Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to take advantage of services from organizations such as Access Esperanza Clinics, Easterseals Rio Grande Valley, LUPE Votes, and Pac Insurance Agency, among others. Alongside us, the consulates of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador were present, providing resources to learn and answer questions while the opportunity was provided
We look forward to growing and expanding as we work on providing a space for preservation and community in times like these, and welcome you to be a part of this movement by becoming a LUPE member and start building traditions with us!
