El D’ÛÎ_a de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, a three-day holiday celebrated mostly by Mexicans but other Latinos as well, originated in Mexico thousands of years ago, to celebrate those who have died. Today, it is celebrated in many Latin-American countries and North America, while other countries in Europe and Asia honor similar holidays. El D’ÛÎ_a de los Muertos has become a huge phenomenon across the world, celebrated by cultures and communities everywhere – even right here in Chicago.

In Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood, Illinois Congress nominee Jorge G. Zavala and Sandy Cakes of Sandy Cakes Couture hosted an event November 1 for the children of the neighborhood at Panader’ÛÎ_a Azucar bakery at 3415 W. Belmont Ave., located off the Belmont Blue-Line stop.  

The event focused on the children of the community, giving them an opportunity to learn more about their culture and the significance of el D’ÛÎ_a de los Muertos, as well as meet other families in the area. “There are often issues of safety and delinquency in our communities,” Zavala said, “With this event we want to provide children with a stable sense of community, while engaging with one another.” 

To participate in el D’ÛÎ_a de los Muertos, many make calaveritas: skulls made of sugar and decorated with a variety of colorful frostings and sequins. Ofrendas, or altars, are then created to honor the dead, where they are adorned with candles, the calaveritas, flowers (specifically Mexican marigolds) favorite foods of and photos of the deceased. The ofrendas may also be decorated with decorative skulls and other objects to remember the dead. 

At Panader’ÛÎ_a Azucar, the children were given miniature calaveritas, and later a select few were able to decorate their own. Zavala then let the audience vote on whose skull was best, and with the help of DJ CZBoogie, initiated a dance-off between the older guests.

The bakery itself made one hundred calaveritas specifically for the event, and also provided visitors with samples of their champurrada, a Mexican hot chocolate. Its very own ofrenda stood against the wall between cases and shelves full of delicious Mexican pastries, complete with candles, flowers, calaveritas, and Halloween decorations.

The event also had several prominent sponsors, including Tampico Juices, Sandy Cakes Couture Confections, and Prestige du Monde (PdM). Tampico Juices gave away samples of their juices to all patrons, while Sandy Cakes added to the festivities while dressed in full D’ÛÎ_a de los Muertos face paint and a matching dress. Cakes handed out calaveritas to the children, while taking photos with them in front of the ofrenda and sending them to get their face painted in the back of the bakery. Another notable sponsor was Prestige du Monde, an organization where Zavala acts as creative director, which focuses on public relations, media, networking and events in a variety of genres within Chicago.

Zavala’s D’ÛÎ_a de los Muertos event was one of the first to occur in the area; most public D’ÛÎ_a de los Muertos celebrations occur on Chicago’s South Side. The event successfully connected those in the Avondale community, as shown by the many visitors and long line that occupied the bakery throughout the event, while providing families with a fun a free event to celebrate their culture.