100 Remember Mother Earth At Dia De Los Muertos 2019

Day of the Dead from Made in New Haven by Steve Hamm on Vimeo.

Eleven-year-old Kai Sarmiento dressed in costume Saturday night to join 100 others in a Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration that highlighted capitalism’s threat to the environment and the contributions ​“aboriginal people can [make to] overcome and create a sustainable world.”

That was the message of the life-sized and bigger puppets and the made-up faces of scores of people who participated in this year’s parade. The Fair Haven event, in its ninth year, is organized by the social justice organization Unidad Latina En Accion.

The parade featured huge puppets of Mother Earth in all her lace and delicacy as well as an equally tall Uncle Sam with a menacing grin and an array of wooden guns and papier mache bandoliers at his feet.

Unidad’s Erick Sarmiento (pictured at the top of the story with son Kai) said one of the most important puppets this year was of Samir Flores. He’s the Mexican broadcaster whose environmental protest of a proposed pipeline led to his death in February of this year.

Flores’ puppet features the image of Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata on the figure’s chest, and a skull evoking Flores with the word ​“Vives” (“he lives”).

Raquel Garzon of West Haven came by with her two sons, who were part of a mariachi group forming up to the lead the parade, and Angelina Baltazar.

Garzon was wearing the face of ​“La Catrina.” That’s a satirical figure made famous by Mexican artist Jose Posada. Garzon described her as ​“an elegant lady skeleton.”

Garzon said that the holiday not only evokes Mexican history but takes the edge off death’s sting by encouraging the bringing back to life of one’s loved ones.

She and her family made an altar on which they put a picture of her father-in-law, who died recently. ​“We put on it his favorite foods,” she said.

Former Arts Council chief Cindy Clair was on hand to help Sadie Applegate put on her ​“La Catrina” face.

Clair conceded she had no experience whatsoever as a make-up artist; yet the job was a lot more enjoyable than chairing a meeting.

After forming up on Mill Street near Criscuolo Park, the parade made its way north and west through New Haven streets, making music, and shaking bones, all the way to the far end of Blatchley Avenue, where the living and the dead were slated to dance together into the night.