BTN News: As August arrives, the Salvadoran community in the United States proudly celebrates Día del Salvadoreño. This colorful festival has grown and become more important since it began. It started in Los Angeles, but since 2006, it has spread to other cities in the U.S. However, the core values behind this celebration haven’t spread as widely.
Día del Salvadoreño began in 1999. It combined religious, cultural, and civic-political values into one big celebration. Today, people debate what the civic part of the festival should be. But the religious aspect, especially the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, remains very important. This event is similar to the “fiestas agostinas” held in San Salvador since 1525, focusing on the “bajada” or descent of Jesus.
Wendy Cordero is the president of the Unidad de Comunidades de El Salvador (Unicomdes). She has led this group since 2012. Wendy says that the Transfiguration ceremony is very emotional and spiritual for the Salvadoran community in Los Angeles. She often sees people crying tears of joy and showing deep gratitude during the event. This shows how connected they feel to their homeland.
Preparing for the festival takes a lot of work. On July 21, volunteers met in Downey to sand and paint a globe. This globe will be used during the August 4 ceremony at 4 p.m. It will be combined with an image of Jesus Christ. This image is kept at Santa Inés Church. The image will be carried in a procession starting at 11 a.m. from Vermont Avenue and Venice Boulevard to Normandie Avenue.
Día del Salvadoreño is unique among many U.S. celebrations because it is free and sticks to its original values. Wendy Cordero, originally from Chalchuapa, joined Unicomdes as a volunteer in 2016 and became president in 2022. She stresses the importance of maintaining the festival’s original spirit. The first festival in 1999 had about 800-1,000 attendees at Preciosa Sangre Church in Los Angeles. They used a figure of the Divine Heart of Jesus for the event because they didn’t have an image of the Divine Savior of the World.
In 2001, Manuel de Jesús Quilizapa, a religious sculptor from Izalco, Sonsonate, created the actual image of the Divine Savior. Chef Tony Valiente funded this project. The image traveled a long journey from El Salvador to San Diego, crossing borders and landmarks. Raul Mariona, who cared for the statue until 2023, says this image allows the Salvadoran community to celebrate with the same passion and faith as they would in El Salvador.
The festival lasts for two days and mixes culture, food, traditions, and religious ceremonies. This is similar to El Salvador’s patronal celebrations dedicated to the Divine Savior of the World. Cities like Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York, Houston, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles will host similar festivities on August 3 and 4, 2024.
The idea for Día del Salvadoreño started in 1992, after the Peace Accords in El Salvador. A group of refugees from the FMLN, including Werner Marroquín, Isabel “Chabelita” Cárdenas, Salvador Gómez Góchez, and Mario Fuentes, began discussing it. They formed the Salvadoran American National Association (SANA) in 1995 to help give cultural and civic identity to Salvadorans in the U.S.
Sophía Cortez, who led SANA from 2010-2020, says the festival is important for uniting Salvadorans and maintaining their cultural identity. At first, Día del Salvadoreño was a platform for left-wing political voices, opposing the right-wing ARENA party in El Salvador. Mario Beltrán and others helped pass a resolution in Congress on July 18, 2006, officially recognizing the day.
The festival became a place to talk about important issues like census participation, migrant rights, local voting rights, and political campaigns. Local and state politicians saw the festival’s political power, as noted by UCLA political scientist Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda.
When Mauricio Funes became president of El Salvador, SANA’s involvement decreased. In 2010, there was no celebration. However, in 2011, Raúl Mariona, “Chabelita” Cárdenas, and others revived the festival. They formed Unicomdes in 2012. Over time, Unicomdes moved away from political activism, focusing more on cultural and community values.
William Soriano, a deputy from Nuevas Ideas, experienced this change in 2022. He wanted to address the festival but was denied to avoid political partisanship. Wendy Cordero says they wanted to keep the festival neutral and focused on the community.
Día del Salvadoreño will take place on August 3 and 4, 2024, at Normandie Avenue and Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles. The festival will continue to celebrate Salvadoran heritage and bring the community together.
