New residents from Mexico get taste of trick or treating in Sault Ste. Marie

For kids, the joy that comes with dressing up in a costume and collecting free candy is universal. 

Recent Mexican immigrants, now residing in Sault Ste. Marie, are not accustomed to the trick or treat tradition, but they have something similar at this time of year in Latin America.

Halloween came from Celtic traditions where villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away phantom visitors and food was left out to placate unwelcome spirits.

When Christianity spread into these lands it blended with older pagan rites. “In 1000 A.D. the church designated Nov. 2 as All Souls’ Day, a time for honoring the dead. Celebrations in England resembled Celtic commemorations, complete with bonfires and masquerades,” said the website history.com.

The part about honouring the dead is more familiar to Patricia Reyes Pacheco, who arrived with her family in Sault Ste. Marie in August from Mexico.

This will be their first taste of Halloween and it’s exciting.

Her son Axel is doubly excited because he turns four-years-old today (Oct. 30).

Pacheco says people in Mexico celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which is on Nov. 2.

“It’s festive,” she said. You get off work. You remember family and relatives who have passed away. You have their pictures and favourite food. You remember the good things about them.”

While the holiday originated in Mexico, it is celebrated all over Latin America with colorful calaveras (skulls) and calacas (skeletons).

Like Halloween, it can involve some dressing up.

“Now they are starting to wear skeleton costumes and they paint their faces like skeletons,” she said, adding there are also skeleton building contests.

“In many of the homes an altar is placed, with candles, fruit, food, flowers, bread of the dead  and photos of friends and family who are no longer with us, but on those days, their souls visit us to greet us and celebrate life and death together as a part of the cycle of life,” said Rafael Huertas, another Mexican immigrant and Sault College student whose family will be experiencing Halloween. 

“In México my wife and my daughters love to dress and make-up as the "Calavera Catrina," wearing black dress with a fancy and embroidered big hat and plenty of brilliant and colored  flowers,” he said.

In Canada some people are still thinking about what costume they’ll wear, he added.

Axel already picked his costume. He plans to go out as Spiderman.

Pacheco, who is an early childhood education student at Sault College, and her husband, plan to stay in Canada.

“If we survive the winter,” joked Pacheco, who is from Veracruz, where the coldest it gets is 16 degrees C.

The weather forecast for Halloween calls for a high of 11 degrees C and a low of 4. There’s a 60 percent chance of rain.

Mexico City - situated more than 2,000 metres above sea level - has temperatures that are noticeably cooler than the port city of Veracruz.

Huertas is from the capital city. He arrived in Sault Ste. Marie about two months ago and is currently pursuing a culinary management diploma at Sault College.

He’s looking forward to experiencing life here and sharing some of his culture with the people of Sault Ste. Marie.

“On Nov. 20 NOLHA (Northern Ontario Latin-Hispanic Association) is very proud and honored to be part of the GAMBLITION fundraising event to support Pauline's Place. We are going to set up a Mexican Altar of Da de Muertos and there will be traditional Mexican dances. So if SooToday and readers want to join us to support this cause it will be so appreciated,” he said.