Day of the Dead celebrations taking over Edmonton this weekend

Many Latinos across the city are preparing for Dia de los Muertos this weekend, a Mexican holiday known as Day of the Dead.

La Morenita owner Angelica Cruz says she started setting up her altar, also known as an ofrenda, in her restaurant on Oct. 27.

An ofrenda is a traditional altar that’s decorated with photos of dead loved ones, surrounded with marigolds and favourite items, such as food, ancestors used to love.

"(It’s a way) of welcoming them back to be able to bless us with their love,” Cruz told CTV Edmonton.

“Whatever we knew they loved in life, we have it here waiting for them to be able to be able to take it with them.”

The holiday is celebrated between Nov. 1 and 2.

Cruz has set up a community ofenda at her restaurant for people to bring photos of their dead loved ones if they can’t create one at home.

La Morenita Restaurant owner Angelica Cruz with the ofrenda at her Mexican restaurant. (CTV Edmonton/Darcy Seaton)

“We have had quite a few people that have already brought their loved ones to be here with us,” Cruz said.

Cruz says when her father died in 2020, she became more curious about Day of the Dead as a way to celebrate and honour his legacy.

“With that, I grew to love the Day of the Dead even more. I already celebrated it, but it was hitting home more.”

The restaurant is also selling pan de muerto, a Mexican bread eaten during the holiday. The sweet bread is baked as a roll with bone shaped decoration on top and covered in sugar.

She says anyone is welcome to come by over the weekend and leave a photo of their loved ones on the ofrenda.

“I’m so happy to see Mexican culture being celebrated here in Edmonton.”

Day of the Dead events are being held at the Alberta Avenue Community League and at City Centre mall on Saturday.

The Edmonton Oilers are also celebrating the Latin holiday on Monday with a Dia de los Muertos themed game against the New Jersey Devils.

Cristoval Castillon is the lead graphic designer for the Oilers and has created dozens of logos for the other cultural themed nights throughout the season.

“I used everything I’ve learned from that and put it towards this with the multiple patches. I probably went overboard in a lot of areas,” he said.

He says he’s always wanted to create something for the Latin and Hispanic communities in Edmonton and secretly had some ideas in mind for years.

Oilers lead graphic designer Cristoval Castillon with his designs for the Oilers Day of the Dead themed game. (CTV Edmonton/Darcy Seaton)

The themed logo features a calaca, a skeletal figure, which is one of the most popular symbols to represent Dia de los Muertos.

Oilers’ mascot Hunter also makes an appearance on the jersey as an alebrije, which is a type of brightly coloured Mexican folk art of fantasy creatures.

Los Petroleros, which means oil worker in Spanish, is also donned on the right shoulder of the jersey and on the front of t-shirts for purchase.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa