Under the gaze of papier-mâche skulls, a sequined dragon head and the outstretched arms of “La Catrina” — a female skeleton with a floral headdress and gown — volunteers in a studio space in Fair Haven on Saturday assembled the colorful procession that will greet community members at Unidad Latina en Acción’s 15th annual Día de los Muertos parade.
For over three weeks, volunteers and artists have prepared materials for this year’s celebration, scheduled for Saturday in the city’s majority-Latino Fair Haven neighborhood. Día de los Muertos — a holiday inspired by Aztec rituals that honor the dead — is a joyous celebration of ancestors and their legacies. Though the holiday’s roots are in Mexico, communities across Latin America and the U.S. celebrate with a variety of traditions, foods and artistic customs.
Each year, ULA, a local immigrant advocacy group, picks a timely theme for its Día de los Muertos celebration, honoring a group that has died in the preceding year. This year, the focus is on the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and its impacts felt across the country.
Twenty people have died while in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement custody this year, NPR reported Thursday — the largest number in a single year since 2005. ULA has been at the forefront of efforts to combat the uptick in federal immigration enforcement activity in the New Haven area.
“I think the key theme this year for our community is the persecution and attacks that we are suffering and will continue to suffer,” Lugo said in Spanish at the art studio.
The promotional poster for the celebration is an illustration that features La Catrina running from President Donald Trump, clothed in a black ICEuniform.
ULA has organized Día de los Muertos activities in New Haven since 2006, but 2010 marked the first year the group held its annual parade, Lugo said. Each year, the group invites artists to help coordinate the creative vision for the festival.
Barrios began working with ULA nine years ago after the group invited him to make festive kites called “barriletes gigantes,” which feature prominently in Guatemalan Día de los Muertos celebrations.
“Pedro came from the region where they produce flying kites. So we invited him to be part of this project to produce a giant kite dedicated to Día de los Muertos,” Lugo said in Spanish. “We also realized he knew how to make puppets. We fell in love with him.”
Barrios described Guatemala’s traditions as “profound” and “intimate.” He also noted “papel picado,” the small pieces of paper that hang from the kites, which are said to make noise that scares away evil spirits.
Barrios noted that across religious traditions, death can carry a negative stigma.
“That’s the importance of this parade, because even if we don’t share these ideas about how to celebrate the dead, it unites the community,” he said in Spanish. “And not just the Latino community.”
According to Lugo, all of the artists, including Barrios, work with donated and recycled materials.
“There’s a girl who’s going to work with us this year. Her name is Monica, and she works with recycled materials,” Lugo said in Spanish. “Spoons, plates, paper cups. What she does is recycle them and make some very pretty dresses.”
Barrios’ own art consists mostly of papier-mâché, which is either used with a specific mask mold, or shaped by hand to create the props used in the parade.
According to Barrios, simpler masks, such as his vibrant red “diablo” mask, take a few days to complete. However, more complex structures, like La Catrina, take much more time, effort and coordination.
Dunia Domínguez, an ULA volunteer and Fair Haven resident of nearly 20 years, aids in designing the colorful flowers that adorn the festival decorations. She also helps distribute food items on the day of the celebration, including the traditional “pan de muerto” — a sweet bread.
Domínguez said that she hopes attendees unfamiliar with the festival “learn a little bit about Mexican culture and the traditions of Central America.”
The celebration will take place this Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Bregamos Community Theater located on 491 Blatchley Ave. The festival will begin at 4 p.m., and the parade will follow at 6 p.m., traversing through the streets of Fair Haven.