Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts breaks Latino attendance records at their 11^th annual Dia de Los Muertos Festival this past weekend.

The Dia de Los Muertos is a traditional celebration in Latin America that celebrates the passing of loved ones on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. Within these two days of November the belief is that loved ones will visit and feast on their favorite foods.

While it is a Latino celebration, this is the first year many Latinos attended the Festival.

“In the past it’s been mainly Angelo families that attend,” says Armando Silva, an ex-student that later became an instructor at MECA.

Angie Moreno, Public Relations and Marketing Manager at MECA, says that one of the reasons why many Latinos do not typically go out to celebrate the Dia de Los Muertos could be because they either celebrate it at church or at home. Meanwhile, other races go out and learn about the celebration.

“Other races are very interested in the culture and have often made it a celebration,” Says Moreno.

Nevertheless, this was the first year a large number of Latinos attended the festival.

Among the Latinos that attended the festival, there was an age gap, said Silva. The middle age group of Latinos was the smallest.

“We were really excited about the attendance, I think a lot of it had to do with Social Media.” says Moreno.

MECA’s goal is to educate the community the right way, the traditional way, said Silva.

“It’s a Latino celebration, and it’s celebrated in other countries, not just Mexico” says Moreno.

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