On Sunday afternoon, at the 14th Annual Latino Festival, men waved sombreros and women fluttered colorful skirts to perform the “Jarabe TapatÃo” or Mexican hat dance.
“Jarabe TapatÃo” is a Mexican folk dance. At Frederick Community College, the crowd clapped and some danced along as the pairs interweaved.
“We want everyone to get involved, not just the Latinx community, but to come together and enjoy all that this melting pot has to offer us.” said Ana Maria Pinzon. said the organizer.
According to Jeanie Cronin, 72, one of the festival’s organizers, the festival’s dates have been deliberately chosen to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month. We are trying to introduce as much of the Keio culture as possible.
Cronin said it’s not only to celebrate Latino-Hispanic heritage, but also to allow non-Latino people to learn and appreciate Latinx culture.
Visitors were munching on elote, Mexican street corn drizzled with a mayonnaise-like sauce, cheese, chili powder and lime as they prowled around campus. Music blared as they sought shelter from the sun under trees and stands.
At one such stand, 38-year-old Cynthia Sorto sold trinkets, clothing and jewelry from her business, Lunniaya Arts and Crafts. They are all inspired by Mexican and Mayan culture, she said. Salt uses different types of clay to create and paint. Her mother makes bracelets.
Hanging around her stand over a jean jacket were brightly colored skulls adorned with floral patterns known as Mexican Sugar Skulls. She said she really wanted to introduce them because they were more than just things.
“That’s what I want to share, and I want people to understand what it really means that it’s very spiritual and has nothing to do with evil or anything like that,” she said. Said.
And the uniqueness of her Mexican heritage, she said, is what makes the Latino festival so important. “Latinx” is a big umbrella that represents a large group of people, but different cultures have emerged in different countries, she said.
Three friends visiting from Washington, DC agreed.Teleka McFadden, Carmen Hahnandez and Patricia Torres were visiting the festival during a day trip to Frederick. McFadden is from Bolivia, Hernandez and Torres are from Venezuela.
They enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the festival, but said it was very focused on Central American culture. However, we also understood that it would be difficult to introduce all Latin American countries.
“I love that there are more and more Latino festivals, but at the same time people think that ‘Latino’ is a concept and ‘Latino’ is a concept. [many] There are different personalities,” said Torres. “And while we all have something in common, at the same time, we’re all different.”
In the background, the bright oranges, pinks and purples of a traditional Mexican dance gave way to a pretty blue and white dress from El Salvador. Sombrero Azul” was unveiled.
Sandra Obritas, director of the Cassandra Cultural Center and who performed the dances, said she chose the dances and songs that most symbolize various Latino countries.
They also performed bachata, salsa and merengue and danced with the audience to learn. So the group was proud of their performance, she said.
And that could be seen in the dance groups themselves, she said.
“We have other players from different countries in Latin America, but at the time, when they had to represent Mexico, they came from that country and tried to represent Mexico the most,” she said. said.
And music is one of the unifying elements of Latino culture, says Jenaro Melendez. Melendez, who lives in Ellicott City and is originally from Puerto Rico, attended the festival for the first time on Sunday.
He was lounging on shaved ice when he said he saw a classmate from when he was at school in Puerto Rico.
Like Torres, he emphasized hometown individuality, like salsa music, but also how Latin culture is connected.
“Each country has different traditions, but the principles are music, language and food…” Melendez said.
Follow Clara Neal on Twitter: @clarasniel