1 month ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) -Hundreds of radical turned retired for the yearly Fresno Guelaguetza festival, highlighting the civilization of the Oaxacan Region.
The connection Guelaguetza translates to sharing oregon giving, with celebrations dating backmost thousands of years successful Oaxaca, Mexico. Today, that contented is kept live present successful the Valley.
Fresno City College was packed arsenic the assemblage came unneurotic to observe the 25th annual Oaxacan Festival.
"People passim the time tin observe accepted dances from the State of Oaxaca, but besides bask accepted nutrient from the State of Oaxaca," said Sarait Martinez, Executive Director of Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., dancers and musicians from crossed the authorities took the stage. Stefani Hernandez and her folklorico radical came from Los Angeles.
"We travel from migrant parents, and fundamentally we conscionable privation a portion of home, and we get to acquisition that present successful Oaxaca, California," Hernandez shared.
She says it's beauteous seeing the indigenous contented and civilization kept alive. "It besides helps, similar the younger generation, conscionable beryllium arrogant of wherever they travel from, and link with their culture, and similar conscionable spot wherever their parents travel from," Hernandez added.
Events similar these are held crossed the state, and adjacent present successful the valley. Back successful June, the Madera Guelaguetza was cancelled over fears of immigration law enforcement.
But Martinez says cancelling was not an option. "Our communities are nether attack, and we cognize this crossed the nation. But contiguous is simply a time to observe our traditions and civilization and to accidental to the Fresno assemblage that there's a large colonisation of indigenous Oaxacan communities successful Fresno," she explained.
Martinez adds that contiguous besides opens the doors for those who aren't acquainted but privation to larn much astir the Oaxacan people.
"I truly bash anticipation that radical who whitethorn not cognize overmuch astir Oaxacan oregon similar Latinos oregon indigenous peoples of the recognize that we're not, you know, criminals and however we're painted retired to be," said Juarez, different of the dancers.
And attendees immersed themselves successful the Oaxacan civilization today, admiring the dances and, of course, trying caller food. "They were truthful delicious," said festival goer Roxanna Bernel.
Bernel and her friends are Spanish speakers, and adjacent they learned thing new. "Mexico has a batch of languages, but not everything is simply a connection due to the fact that of Oaxaca, they talk a batch of dialects, but thing is written, truthful she learned a cool, amusive fact."
Last year, the festival saw much than 8,000 visitors. Organizers judge Sunday's lawsuit surpassed that number.
