On Saturday evening, La Cocina de Sandra on Temple Street filled with the rhythmic beats of bomba drums as dancers Andrea Sanchez and Miriam Magalis Cruz performed for the fifth annual Día De Muertas festival. The event, organized by the volunteer‑run anti‑femicide group Vivan Las Autonomas, honored the 19 Connecticut lives lost to gender‑based violence in 2026.
Community gathering and cultural heritage
Festival attendees gathered around tables laden with hot chocolate and pan de muerto, a traditional Mexican sweet bread, while children waited for their faces to be painted as colorful skulls. A towering ofrenda, draped in orange and yellow marigolds, displayed framed photos of the victims, flowered skulls, a pink guitar with a skeleton, fairy lights, candles and personal mementos.
“I just want them to know that they’re not alone and that we’re here and we believe them and we will walk that fight with them no matter how hard it gets,” said Vanesa Suarez, founding director of Vivan Las Autonomas.
Roots of the tradition
The festival grew out of a 2020 procession organized after the murder of Lizzbeth Aleman‑Popoca in East Haven. Suarez explained that the group draws inspiration from Mexican feminists who have used Día de Muertos to spotlight femicides, adapting the name to the feminine form “Día De Muertas.”
Bomba dancing and cultural pride
Both Sanchez and Cruz are members of Movimiento Cultural, an organization dedicated to preserving Afro‑Puerto‑Rican heritage. Sanchez, who has Puerto‑Rican roots, described bomba as “very releasing for the soul… a silent communication, close to meditation.” Kevin Diaz, founder of Movimiento Cultural, noted that bomba is a 400‑year‑old tradition brought to the Americas by enslaved West Africans and remains a vital part of the community’s DNA.
Cruz, crowned Miss Puerto Rico of Greater New Haven in 2023, has been dancing bomba for three years. The festival featured a Puerto‑Rican adaptation of “Canción Sin Miedo,” an anthem condemning femicide, performed to the beat of bomba. Cruz said rehearsals brought tears as she imagined the pain families endure.
Support beyond the celebration
Vivan Las Autonomas provides year‑round services, including artistic events, court accompaniment and rapid‑response assistance for victims of gender violence, especially those who are undocumented or fear their abusers. Yasmin Georgina, a longtime volunteer whose friend Naiesha Jean‑Claude was killed earlier this year, said the festival is the organization’s culminating event, offering a space for community, healing and solidarity.
“Everything they have planned throughout the year leads up to this,” Georgina said. “It accumulates into support for people to breathe, for people to gain more community.”
Looking forward
Suarez emphasized that the festival is a labor of love, a chance to send a message of love and solidarity to grieving families. The event underscores the power of cultural expression to raise awareness, honor victims and strengthen the bonds of a community determined to stand against gender‑based violence.
Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.
