Stir Pairing: Día de los Muertos 2022 comes to life in Vancouver
Local Day of the Dead celebrations include altar installations, Hanky Panky cocktails, and more
Ophelia.
Every week, Stir Pairing suggests locally available food and drink to go with a local arts event.
ON DíA DE LOS MUERTOS, it’s said that the souls of the dead awaken and return to the land of the living to dance, drink, and feast with their loved ones. Living family members treat their beloved deceased as guests of honour, serving up their favourite foods and leaving offerings at gravesites or on ofrendas (altars) in their homes. Day of the Dead is celebrated throughout Mexico and across the diaspora with skulls, skeletons, marigolds, music, and other rituals, typically on November 1 and 2, though other dates before and after might be significant in various regions. In 2008, UNESCO inscribed the tradition on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The local arts community has several events on offer to mark the holiday.
The lowdown
Culture Club at MOA: Día de los Muertos
October 30 from 11 am to 12:30 pm at Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC
Photo by Miguel Gonzalez
The Culture Club at MOA is a new family program series on the last Sunday of each month that focuses on interactive learning about diverse cultural perspectives. On October 30, people are invited to learn about Día de los Muertos and make their own face masks with two local artists: Elvira DS Monteforte and Dolores Altin. After the hands-on workshop, visitors can take a self-guided Día de los Muertos-themed tour of the Multiversity Galleries. Montfort is a painter and mural artist from Mexico City who has been in Canada since 1998; Altin is a landscape architect and public artist.
Día de los Muertos Celebration at MOA
November 1 at Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC
MOA partners with Latincouver for this multifaceted event that’s part of Latin American Heritage Month.
Look for the Día de los Muertos altar in MOA’s Haida House, created by local Mexican artist Paloma Morales, where people can contribute photos and mementos of loved ones to become part of it. Morales gives a presentation on how to make an altar from 4 to 5 pm on November 1, while the installation will be in place until November 3. Encouraged to attend in costumes, visitors can also take a guided tour of MOA’s English-Spanish feature exhibition Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers / Soñadores + creadores del cambio. Antojos y Sabores will be serving up traditional Day of the Dead treats such as pan de muerto, hot chocolate, and tamales.
Performances by Mariachi Los Dorados and Casa Meshiko-Mexica Aztec Dance Group take place from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Under the leadership of bandleader, vocalist and guitarist Alex Alegria, Los Dorados is billed as Canada’s premier 12-piece mariachi ensemble. Casa Meshiko-Mexica Aztec Dance Group is dedicated to preserving the traditions and rituals of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic culture through movement. Before the members dance, they pray to the six directions by singing a song in Nahuatl, Mexico’s ancient language.
Altar de Muertos Installation at MOA.
Altar de Muertos: Installation from Mexico, Bolivia and Ecuador
At Ocean Art Works Pavilion on Granville Island until November 1 at 5 pm
Curators Pamela Ordonez (Bolivia), Paloma Morales (Mexico), and Ximena Basantes (Ecuador) team up for this altar on view as part of Latincouver’s Latin American Heritage Month activities. People can upload a picture of their dearly departed here, which will become part of the installation.
Latincouver, “How to Become La Catrina”.
Latin Market Ft. Día de los Muertos
October 29 and 30 at Granville Island
Latincouver presents Latin Market Ft Día de Muertos with live music, some 30-plus vendors (selling everything from jewellery to vegan beauty products), food, face painting, kids’ and seniors’ activities, a beer garden, and more. Then there are workshops in salsa, capoeira, Afro Zumba and macuele, and one on “How to become La Catrina”, the icon of the Day of the Dead.
The Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival
The 19th annual fest features a Day of the Dead Decorations Workshop (October 27); Day of the Dead afternoon walks to community altars (November 2); and Day of the Dead Fiesta (presented by Watari Counselling & Support Services with the Community Death Care Project, also on November 2), with music, traditional food, and hot chocolate.
The festival also presents Bells of St James’ (November 2), with the ringing of the bells from St. James' Anglican Church for All Souls’ Day and Day of the Dead. "The bells at St. James”, with a full octave range, were cast in 1937 in England, and continue sounding to this day. The tenor bell weighs two tonnes, while all eight bells play together on special occasions.
Latin American Heritage Month Closing Ceremony – Day of the Dead
November 2 from 5 to 7 pm at Ocean Art Works Pavilion, Granville Island
Calpulli Cemanahuac Aztec Dance, Mariachi Los Dorados trio, and Nahualli Folklore dance project take part in this Latincouver event.
Francisco Higareda, Ophelia.
The food
Ophelia’s Día de los Muertos dinner
October 27 at Ophelia
Ophelia executive chef and Veracruz native Francisco Higareda and his team are serving a multi-course menu in honour of Day of the Dead, complete with flickering candles, Mexican folk music, and staff members adorned with traditional calavera (skull) makeup.
The festivities kick off with Margarita de los Muertos (pictured above), with Mezcal, squid-ink tincture, and fresh lime juice. Among the dishes are sope de barbacoa de pato (corn sope with duck barbacoa and gooseberry compote), pulpo en mole de su tinta (crusted octopus with corn truffle rice, roasted shishito pepper, red kale sprouts, and octopus ink mole; and short rib en mole Colorado (braised short rib with celeriac puree and red mole).
Diners are encouraged to dress up for the one-night-only event.
Gina Barbachano, Hanky Panky.
Fairmont Pacific Rim x Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar Día de los Muertos celebration
November 2 and 3 at Botanist and November 4 at the Lobby Lounge & RawBar at Fairmont Pacific Rim
Botanist executive chef Hector Laguna grew up splitting his time between Hidalgo and Veracruz, and for him and his family Día de los Muertos is of enormous importance, the second most significant holy day after Christmas.
“My family really believes that our loved ones come back and hang out with us,” Laguna tells Stir. “Typically every household will make mole, tamales, and a drink made of molasses and corn— atole—and we make food that our loved ones used to eat when they were alive. If they liked fish in a certain way, we cook it like that for them. We go through a list of everybody we lost. For foodies it’s the best holiday because we have everything you can think of.
“The preparation starts a couple weeks earlier,” he adds. “My mom and grandma, back in the, would make decorations by hand, cut the paper. We would harvest everything we need—my dad and brothers and I were in charge of that.” The living family members wait outside for their loved ones to arrive then follow them through the door inside to feast. “It’s all about eating and drinking and having fun,” he says. “Cemeteries will be full of food, dance, and live music. It’s a party.”
Hector Laguna, Botanist at Fairmont Pacific Rim.
To celebrate, Laguna and Botanist’s head bartender Jeff Savage will welcome Mexico City’s acclaimed Hanky Panky speakeasy-style cocktail bar, ranked No. 13 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, for a collaborative dinner and cocktail experience.
The collaboration marks Fairmont Pacific Rim’s third of the year in an ongoing series, which aims to provide immersive culinary experiences with renowned restaurants and bars from around the world. (Past guests have included Katana Kitten, recently named #4 on North America’s 50 Best Bars, and New York City’s SAGA.) Hanky Panky’s appearance also marks a continuation of its own global series of bar takeovers.
On November 2 and 3, Laguna will pair a six-course tasting menu infused with traditional Mexican flavours, including Laguna’s signature lamb barbacoa as well as esquites, a simple corn-based dish with aioli, epazote (a Mexican herb that one of his trusted local farmers is growing specifically for him for this event), and queso fresco, the popular street food taken to the next level here with truffles.
The dishes will be accompanied by three cocktails created by Hanky Panky’s bartender-general manager Gina Barbachano and bartender David Negrete; and three by Botanist’s Savage.
On November 4, the Hanky Panky crew will team up with Grant Sceney, Fairmont Pacific Rim’s creative beverage director, to offer Día de los Muertos cocktail experience at The Lobby Lounge & RawBar, complete with live music and other entertainment.
The pairing
If you’re looking for a cocktail to toast loved ones, here are a couple of spirited options.
Honey Salt
Día de Los Muertos Margarita at Honey Salt
Honey Salt bar leader Alper Fonte is of Mexican descent, and this cocktail is an homage to the holiday that’s near and dear to him. Made with mezcal, mandarin syrup, Aperol, and lemon juice with a charcoal rim, the drink has an orange hue as a nod to the colour of the path people create to make offerings on Día de Los Muertos; marigolds guide spirits to their altars with their vibrant shade and fragrance. The charcoal rim represents getting to the “other side”. The cocktail comes together with Mezcal, a signature spirit of Mexico, while Aperol gives it a hint of sweetness to represent calavera, or sugar candy skulls.
La Mezcaleria.
Catrina at La Mezcaleria
A cocktail special for both Día de los Muertos and Halloween, the Catrina features citrus juice, Crème de cassis, tequila infused with chile pasilla, egg white, grapefruit bitters, and agave syrup.
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