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A Celebration of Life

A Celebration of Life

by | Sep 28, 2022 | Do, September 2022

What Centro’s Day of the Dead 5K really means to event director Angela Salamanca

Photos by Michael Palko

While you might have caught a glimpse of the costumed runners scampering along Wilmington Street in years past for Centro’s annual Day of the Dead 5K, there’s more to the race than meets the eye. 

Coming up on its 10-year anniversary this October, the race means something a little different to everyone involved. For some, it’s a great way to get fresh air and exercise while supporting the Brentwood Boys & Girls Club. For others, it’s the perfect fam-friendly outing combining running, face painting, dancing—and beer for those 21+. And yet for others, like Centro owner and event director Angela Salamanca, it serves a deeper purpose. 

In 2003, Salamanca lost her younger sister Margarita to suicide. 

“When she died, I was also really young. I think she was 25 and I was 26, and she was under my care,” say Salamanca. “And at the time… there weren’t the conversations in availability and normalization around mental health and help, so it was a tough, difficult, hard time for us.”

Salamanca was overcome with grief in the beginning, but after finding out she was pregnant soon thereafter, she pushed herself to think and feel differently. 

“I just kind of turned on a switch somewhere inside of me, and said, ‘I really need to be happier; I really need to be good; this baby needs all the best of me.’ And I stopped grieving out of necessity, out of—I don’t know why—it was a thing that I felt I needed to do out of survival,” she says. 

Fast-forward to 2009 when Centro was in its second year and Salamanca first learned about the Day of the Dead, when her kitchen staff, who were mostly Central American, asked if they could set up an altar in the restaurant. Altars are a key part of the holiday, as they are used to honor and celebrate the lives of deceased friends and family. 

Day of the Dead 5K
Day of the Dead 5K altar

“I’ve been able to stop equating death with darkness or grief with darkness, and I think the altar really shifts that for you,” Salamanca reflects. “I saw it as an opportunity for healing, and because I experienced it myself, I really wanted to share that with others.”

And she has. Since 2000 (minus 2020 and 2021), Salamanca and her staff have worked to educate others about the Day of the Dead by holding the 5K during the last weekend in October each year. In addition to the race, they set up an altar in Oakwood Cemetery, where runners—or anyone in the community—can come and celebrate loved ones they’ve lost. To boot, proceeds from the event benefit the Brentwood Boy & Girls Club, and many children within the organization take part in the race. 

2022 will be the last year that Salamanca and Centro host the 5K, as they are passing the reins to the Boys & Girls Club. But they are looking to go out with a bang. Their goal is to have 1,500 people register for the race—nearly double the number of participants they’ve had in the past. 

The key thing to remember? As Salamanca says, “This race can be anything that you want.” A way to give back to the community. A way to get your heart pumping while spending time with family and friends. Or a way to honor the memory of those you love. 

Race Details

Date & Time: Saturday, Oct. 29, 10am
Entry Fee: $35 until Oct. 27; $40 after
T-shirt: Free if you register before Oct. 3
Opportunity: Sponsor a child (or more) from the Brentwood Boys & Girls Club for an additional $30
Register: fsseries.com/event/day-of-the-dead-5k/register 

Día de los Muertos

Día de los Muertos

by | Oct 30, 2019 | Do, November 2019

The Day of the Dead is an annual, three-day celebration of life and death that’s observed in communities across Mexico and Latin America. We spoke with Rafael Osuba, a Raleigh-based artist and founder of the El Quixote festival, about Día de los Muertos’ origins and customs.

How did Day of the Dead begin and where is it celebrated?

Day of the Dead is most popular in Mexican cultures, but it’s not exclusive to Mexico. It has been traced back to Mesoamerica and has been around for centuries in different Latin American countries. 

How do communities observe Day of the Dead?

Every country celebrates a little bit differently. Guatemalans, for instance, make huge kites, about 40 feet tall, and fly them around. That’s their way of making the connection from the natural world to those who have passed on. In some areas of Mexico, people walk to cemeteries with luminaries. There, they will dress and decorate their loved ones’ [graves] with marigolds, bright colors and scents. Or they decorate an altar.

What do the altars signify?

There’s usually three different elements to the altar, a ground, middle and top that represent different stages of life. There is usuallypapel picado, thin, colorful tissue paper that represents the wind blowing as someone walks by. The elements, fire, wind and ground, are very important. And there are different things people add to an altar, foods—the traditional bread, pan de muertos—or alcohol. It’s believed that on this special day, the dead would walk among us, so it’s a way for them to have a drink and celebrate, a nice thought. Usually, there’s a photograph to identify the individual being commemorated and candles to draw attention to the altar and signify life. 

How do people dress for Day of the Dead?

People want to look their best so they put on their nicest traditional dress as a form of respect. So you’ll see a lot of traditional dress, with bright colors. In some areas of Mexico, folks will paint their faces in the skull shape. Not everywhere. It’s not Halloween, it’s not dressing up as a character. But sometimes, ladies will dress up in a way to represent La Catrina [a goddess that represents the Day of the Dead].

This is the third year the El Quixote Festival has celebrated Day of the Dead at the City of Raleigh Museum. What can attendees expect?

Two visual artists will be creating the altar and we encourage members of the community to come in traditional dress and bring ofrenda to add to the altar. People bring photos of their loved ones who have passed on. Come share hot chocolate, try some traditional bread. We always have live music and a craft table to make marigolds to take home or add to the altar. It’s bilingual and a fun, family friendly event, a way to come and remember and commemorate our ancestors and loved ones. 

El Quixote is a statewide, traveling arts festival that runs from September to April each year and celebrates the spirit of Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” and other works, artists and figures from history through various programming. The City of Raleigh Museum’s Day of the Dead event takes place from 6-9 p.m. as part of First Friday. No registration is required. Learn more at iamquixote.com/service/day-of-the-dead-city-of-raleigh-museum