Día de Los Muertos at the Harbourfront Centre
By Thaïs Grandisoli
November 12, 2019
TORONTO, ON — The aroma of mixed spices and cocoa beans filled the air as the warm sound of guitars finished setting the scene. The Day of the Dead festival held annually at the Harbourfront Centre welcomed families to celebrate Mexican tradition with music, food, and art.
“I come with my family every year,” says Hinanit Glazier, owner of Artesano Canada, a small family-run business that hand-picks items from different regions of Mexico.
Hinanit was born in Mexico and moved to Canada nine years ago. She explains that she saw multiple stylized versions of Mexican art for a long time around Toronto's streets. In 2016, Hinanit had the idea of bringing Canadians traditional folk art.
Mexicans celebrate Día de Los Muertos on Nov. 2. On this date, families gather in honor of loved ones who have passed to guard and assist them through their spiritual journey. Food and dancing is a big part of the festivities, as well as cleaning the graves of their loved ones so they’ll be ready to receive the offerings.
This year, the Day of the Dead festival focused on the evolution of ofrendas– altars built to receive the offerings. The event gives families of Mexican background a chance to remember and celebrate national culture and traditions.
Despite the event’s main purpose to celebrate Mexican culture, Canadian presence was still around.
One of the most popular stands at the main hall was Chocosol, a Toronto-based company that works with Mexican indigenous communities to bring environmentally conscious goods to Canada.
“We use stone grinders to do a low-heat and low-shear refinement of the chocolate to make a classic Mexican-style chocolate,” says Mathieu McFadden, Co-Owner at Chocosol.
Mathieu says that their chocolate isn’t as refined as fine European chocolate, but “it’s still within the realm of chocolate being seen as a food as opposed to just a candy and a commodity.”
Artists and event-goers saw Día de Los Muertos at the Harbourfront Centre wrap up late after a fun night of reunion for many.
The hallways towards the exits displayed multiple art exhibitions specially created for the occasion by Mexican artists.
Close to one of the main exits, an art installation called Let’s Leave Flowers remembers the six people who have died last year when attempting to cross the Mediterranean sea to seek asylum in European countries. The mural features a wall of black tissue-paper flowers with openings that reveal six silhouettes reflecting the image of whoever is walking by. The artist, Brian Medina, successfully expresses the call for empathy and compassion behind the piece giving the guests something to think about while going home.
