Mexico’s Guelaguetza Festival celebrated in Downtown Brooklyn

Music and festivities of Oaxaca fill Cadman Plaza Park

July 27, 2014 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Dancers at La Guelaguetza Festival New York in Brooklyn. Photo by Mary Frost

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The festive music, gala outfits and traditional dances of the Oaxaca region of Mexico filled Cadman Plaza Park in Downtown Brooklyn on Sunday, at the second annual La Guelaguetza Festival New York sponsored by the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York (BFMNY).

Dancers with swirling silk skirts and intriguing veils — carrying towering puppets, banners and baskets of flowers — performed Oaxacan dances from across the region. Some featured elaborate processions; others were simple depictions of everyday life, such as a man’s efforts to woo a demure young lady. His efforts needed no translation when he moved his arms as if he was swimming towards the woman against a strong current.

A large and appreciative crowd, including City Councilmember Carlos Menchaca (Red Hook), spread out beach chairs and blankets and applauded the performances, and the cheerful music drew in spectators from the nearby Brooklyn Heights’ neighborhood.

The Guelaguetza, from a Zapotec word meaning sharing, is an annual event in Oaxaca, in southeastern Mexico. The celebration, always held during the last two weeks of July, focuses on traditional dances and includes parades with marching bands, local food, and exhibitions of handmade textiles and pottery. Also known as Lunes del Cerro (Mondays of the Hill), Guelaguetza is called one of Mexico’s premier celebrations of dance and music.

According to the website go-oaxaca.com, the festivities originated in colonial times and are related to the festivity of Corpus Christi. Indians who lived in the nearby villages joined the celebration, incorporating their own traditions in which they workshipped Centeotl (goddess of tender corn or elote).

In Mexico, at the end of each dance, each delegation traditionally throws small fruit, little gifts or even coconuts and pineapples to the audience after their dance. According to the Oaxaca Wiki, “The audience stays alert to catch the gifts and to avoid getting hit by projectiles. Pineapples sting the most.”

At Cadman Plaza Park on Sunday, no flying pineapples were observed, but treats of little gifts typical of the various Oaxacan regions filled baskets edging the stage.