Edmonton mariachi group celebrating Day of the Dead through music and dance

Edmonton's Latino community is getting ready to honour their loved ones for Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

An Edmonton mariachi band and dance group is hoping to share its culture and showcase the spirit of remembrance of Dia de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead.

• Download our app to get Edmonton alerts on your device

Ereni Perez, lead vocalist and manager of Mariachi Loco, hopes to bring the Day of the Dead alive in the city through art.

“I think this is how I can express myself through music and dance and it was very important to me to bring people together to showcase Mexican culture in an elevated way,” Perez said.

The nine-piece ensemble is performing at Westbury Theatre for the Mexican holiday Saturday night. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated from Nov. 1 to 2.

The multi-day holiday is a chance for Latinos to gather and honour their loved ones who have died. Family members often decorate an ofrenda, a type of altar, and leave favourite items like foods, drinks and knick knacks of things their relatives loved.

Perez says she lost a loved one as a kid and building an ofrenda helped her grieve.

“I used to do it with my grandparents, and now I’m doing it with my kids and that’s how culture and traditions move forward,” she said.

Mariachi Loco has been performing together for years but this is their first time doing a show for Dia de los Muertos.

“Mariachi is very important in that we are singing in Spanish and we’re sharing traditional music,” Perez said.

“We’re still able to connect with people from heart to heart. They may not understand what we’re singing about, but they do connect with the music.”

Rodrigo Sosa plays the trumpet in Mariachi Loco and is looking forward to performing after months of rehearsals.

He’s been playing the instrument for 18 years and was able to learn from mariachi trumpet masters while on a recent trip to Mexico.

“I’m hoping to bring what I learned there to this show, they’re all very welcoming and happy to be a part of it.”

Mariachi Loco is filled with not just Mexicans, but Salvadorans, Peruvians, Canadians and more. Dia de lo Muertos is predominantly a Mexican holiday, but Sosa says it’s also celebrated in El Salvador.

“We celebrate in a slightly different way, we do also go to graveyards and clean the graves and do prayers for our deceased family members,” he said.

Alicia Ortega is the choreographer for Saturday’s event and says her Canadian husband has also found refuge in celebrating the holiday.

“He lost his mom 10 years ago and the second year after I met him, he forgot the anniversary of his mother,” Ortega explained.

“I told him not to be worried because that’s why we have Dia de los Muertos, so we kind of remember all of them in a very loving way.”

Tickets are sold out for the show on Saturday but Perez says she hopes to have another show next year because of the demand.