Sunday, Nov. 1st was a Day of the Dead for more than one way in Burien – it was also the last big event to be held at the Interim Art Space, which hosted “Night of 1,000 Pumpkins” as well as a Dia de las Muertes celebration.
Photographer Michael Brunk was there to capture both audio and photos of the day, which he’s combined into the following “SoundSlideshow”:
Click to Play Michael Brunk’s SoundSlideshow
Just when you thought that the fun with the skeletons and candy were done, today (Sunday, Nov. 1st) is the official start of Dia de las Muertes, an Hispanic celebration also known as “Day of the Dead.”
We here at The B-Town Blog love this celebration so much that we’ll be at Burien’s only known commemoration starting at 3:30pm, at the Interim Art Space on SW 151st just north of the new Town Square – it’s “Night of 1,000 Pumpkins”!
Sadly, this will be the final event held at B/ IAS before the dismantling begins and the space returns to an empty lot Dec. 31st – all the more reason to come up and celebrate one last time.
In case you’re not familiar with Dia de las Muertes, here’s some info from Wikipedia:
The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls’ Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints’ Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls’ Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.
Original Artwork by Danielle Burton. Click image to see large version.
The fun begins today at 3:30pm and goes until dark:
- Bring a carved Pumpkin (or more) with a candle to fill the site with 1,000 lit pumpkins (you can also carve one there)
- Bring something for the community Dia de las Muertes altar (photos of the departed, trinkets, symbols of their lives, etc.)
- Walk through the makeshift cemetery
- Dress up in Day of the Dead costumes/makeup (Calaveras, or skeleton costumes are perfect)
- Pay tribute to your departed loved ones and gather with your neighbor over food, drink and dance
- Celebrate your community, your family and friends one final time at this innovative space
- Face Painting
- Flower Making
- Grand Pumpkin Games
- Sand Painting by artist Amaranta Sandys in the lobby of the Burien Library
- Traditional foods and vendors
- Community created Altars
PERFORMERS:
- 4:30 to 6:30: Trio Lucero del Norte on the B/ IAS Site (Roots Music / Regional Mexican / Folk);
Trío Lucero del Norte play traditional/regional Mexican music from the Huasteca. Specialists in son huasteco and huapango, they are currently the only local group who play son huasteco with the complete ensemble: violin, jarana and quinta huapanguera. Son huasteco is the zapateado style of Mexican son from the Huasteca region. It formed the basis for many styles of huapango that became popular throughout Greater Mexico. The Huasteca region encompasses the plains region of six states: Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Veracruz and Tamaulipas.
In addition to sones huastecos and huapangos, Trío Lucero del Norte interpret sones de costumbre for Day of the Dead and Carnaval, sones and cumbias in Náhuatl and Huastecan regional stylings of polkas, canciones rancheras, boleros and cumbias. The three members: Jose Hernández (violin), Modesto Antonio Hernández (quinta huapanguera) and Kim Carter Muñoz (jarana), met when Kim posted an add in the El Paisano, a Mexican Carnicaría/Grocery in White Center.
Kim traveled to Mexico for several years to study son huasteco and sones de costumbre for her graduate studies in Ethnomusicology. After playing with well-known son huasteco musicians in Mexico, including Los Cantores de Pánuco, Soraima y Sus Huastecos, Trio Chicóntepec, Los Caporales de Pánuco and others, she wanted to form her own trío in Seattle.
- 5:30 to 6:30: Los Flacos At the Burien Library; Join with Los Flacos for a musical celebration of El Día de los Muertos. This Latino music group performs a blend of the traditional sounds of Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Using a variety of instruments, some indigenous to the Americas and others of European and African origin, they create their own renditions of the songs of Latin America. Gather together with friends at the Burien Library to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have died. For More info on Los Flacos.
- 6:30 to 7:30: Pyrosutra on the B/ IAS Site; Pyrosutra is a fire dance collective based out of Seattle, Washington. We combine choreographed bellydance, breakdance and stilt walking with a wide range of professional fire performance techniques and innovative tools.
- 7:30 to 9:30: La Banda Gozona on the B/ IAS Site
Tapetes de Arena or Sand paintings
These “murals” are typically made of sand, sawdust, seeds, flower petals, and pigments. Traditionally, a tapete is made in the home when there is a death in the family. After a period of mourning, the tapete is swept up and entombed with the body of the deceased. Tapetes are also created all over Oaxaca for the Días de los Muertos celebration, and judged along with the ofrendas in the Concursos de Altares de Muertos.
Amaranta Sandys is been collaborating in the making of sandpaintings with Latino artists in Seattle for the last 10 years @ SAM and Tacoma Art Musuem.
We think that if you dig Tim Burton or Danny Elfman, or love Hispanic culture (or even just good ol’ fashioned dead people), you’re sure to enjoy this event (and we can assure you, we’ll be there…).
All pumpkins will be composted through a gift from King County Solid Waste.
| May ’09 |
| 5 |
Tuesday, May 5th is Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday that gives everyone an excuse to take a shot of tequila on a weekday.
Oh, and it’s also the celebration of the Mexican army’s defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. However, it is not Mexican Independence Day, nor is it a national holiday in Mexico, but rather a day that can be observed voluntarily.
And no, we’re not going to mention swine flu in this story just to increase our Google pagerank.
Oops…we just did. Dang.
Here’s what’s going on:
BURIEN:
Azteca: 153 SW 157th: Happy Hour All Day 32oz Beer Special
La Costa: 206 SW 152nd: BIG PARTY 9pm-2am Drink Specials & Jello Shots NO COVER
El Rinconsito: 15101 Ambaum Blvd SW: Taco Plate Special
Vino Bello: 636 SW 152nd: 2pm-9pm Beer & Sangria Specials
Tin Room: 923 SW 152nd St: All Mexican Menu & Drink Specials
Sunnydale Tavern: 14404 Des Moines Memorial Drive: Live Music, Beer & Tequila Specials. Jello Shots
Twiggs: 12803 Ambaum Blvd SW: $3 Corona’s
Breaktime Lounge: 635 SW 152nd: $1.00 Taco’s
Barrel Tavern: 11051 1st Ave South: Beer & Food Specials, Regular Jam session. No Cover
WHITE CENTER:
McMurphy’s: 11069 16th Ave SW: Karaoke & Drink Specials
Marv’s Broiler: 9808 16th Ave SW: Appetizer & Drink Specials
Triangle Pub: 9454 Delridge Way SW: Beer & Tequila Specials
Viva Mexico: 10601 16th Ave SW: Beer & Tequila & Appetizer Specials
The El Flamingo in Boulevard Park was used as a cover for a major drug ring.
According to The Seattle Times, the drug ring leader busted in a major Boulevard Park drug raid back in May was sentenced Monday at the US District Court in Seattle to more than six years in prison for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
Domingo Bailon-Yanez, 30, a Mexican national, is likely be deported after his prison term, federal prosecutors said.
This was a major drug bust – in all, ten arrests were made, two kilos of cocaine and a pound of heroin seized; along with three guns, eight cars and $40,000 in cash. In May, search warrants netted more than 36 pounds of cocaine, three guns and more than $203,000 in cash.
Fed nicknamed the bust “Operation Pink Tiger,” which referred to the nickname of one of the defendants as well as the lovely, bright pink cellophane wrapping the bad guys so courteously used on their cocaine.
And who said they don’t know how to party in Boulevard Park?
Full story here.
We dropped by the Dia de los Muertos celebration going on at the Burien Community Center Saturday and took these photos:
This altar was created by Spanish II students at Highline's Global Connections High School (formerly Tyee).
The altar is aimed at African children who died in conflict.
You'll see sugar skulls at many altars, as an offering/treat to tempt the dead to come back for a visit.
The exhibit/celebration continues Sunday from 10am-6pm, there’s no charge and everyone’s invited to come make or add to an “offrenda” or offering to the dearly departed.
The Burien Community Center is located at 425 SW 144th Street in Burien.
We love the character this town we call Burien exudes, and today we’re featuring our current fave sign, which is perched atop a semi-new Mexican restaurant located at 14445 Ambaum Blvd SW called “El Pique” (which translates to “The Sting,” perhaps referring to the flame-like spiciness of their peppers?):
There's just something funny about a pepper with a flame coming out of its mouth...
| Nov ’08 |
| 1 |
| 10:00 am |
| Nov ’08 |
| 2 |
| 10:00 am |
A special Dia de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead” celebration will take place Saturday and Sunday Nov. 1st through 2nd from 10am to 6pm at the Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street (map below).
This is a first-time collaboration between Burien Parks, the Highline Historical Society and Para los Ninos, and it should be a fun and interesting time for all, both living and dead.
Everyone is invited to help commemorate their deceased loved ones with “offrendas,” or offerings through alters that include fanciful foods, symbols, photos and even artifacts that honor that person’s life.
According to Mexican legend:
Many people believe that during the Day of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living.
People will go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and will build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, and photos and memorabilia, of the departed.
The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them.
Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.
Here’s an interesting video that shows some of what this fascinating day is all about:
Far as we know, no other local neighborhood blogs in the Seattle area are utilizing this feature, which is now active and available on both this here B-Town Blog and our sister site, the White Center Blog:
AUTOMATIC LANGUAGE TRANSLATION!
To see it in action, just click on either the 
Korean, 
Chinese or 
Spanish flag under the “Translator” heading on the right sidebar under the “Current Weather” area; the page should automatically translate to whichever language you chose (including reverting back to English with the 
American flag.
Give it a try (and please be patient – not every single page has been 100% translated yet):
We hope to add additional languages soon, but for now these three languages should help us reach out to a larger number of non-English speaking residents.
Please email us if you have any problems or suggestions – we’re always trying to improve both the B-Town Blog and White Center Blog, as well as helping to serve this wonderfully diverse community.
A 29-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced for 6-1/2 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, stemming from a bust on his Burien apartment last July.
Miguel Eden Villarreal is an illegal alien who will likely be deported back to Mexico following his prison term.
On July 31, 2007, Drug Enforcement Administration agents obtained a search warrant and searched the Burien apartment where Villarreal lived with his wife and two young children. Agents and King County sheriff’s officers uncovered methamphetamine, cocaine, packaging materials and $40,000 in cash.
Villarreal was arrested a few blocks away from the apartment. He told investigators that he had been in the United States illegally for about five months and had been dealing drugs for four months.
At Villarreal’s sentencing, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said Villarreal was “involved in moving massive amounts of one of the most dangerous drugs on the street.”
SOURCE:
Our neighborhood’s diverse culture is on display in these two videos which show Mexican children doing a celebratory New Year’s dance in the parking lot of St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church on 152nd.
Notice how the music sounds kind of Polka-esque – we could be wrong, but we believe this to be “Banda Music,” which gets its origins from German-Americans who lived in south Texas in the 1930s. According to Wikipedia, the German descendants introduced polka music to Mexicans, who then ran with it and made it their own (talk about a weird combo, but somehow it works and sounds very cool!).
Roughly translated, the Youtube blurb reads:
“While we the adults declare our culture with respect and happiness, our little ones continue our legacy…”
