El Día de los Niños, otherwise known as Children’s Day, is about adults celebrating their children because they are the future.
Some youngsters, like McCall Elementary School fifth grader Camila Garcia, were both youthful celebrants and feting other children at the same time.
Camilia is a violinist with Mariachi Bravo, an elementary school mariachi band from Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. The group was part of the entertainment at the Waukegan Public Library’s El Día de los Niños celebration.
“I’m representing my culture,” she said. “My family is from Mexico, and this is part of Mexican culture. I’m doing this for the people here.”
Music was part of the entertainment along with crafts and games for children and their families on Sunday at the library’s fifth-annual El Día de los Niños celebration throughout the youth section of the building.
Jennyfer Cordova, the library’s communications and community engagement manager, said the event was held on Sunday so as many people as possible could attend. Sylvia Bout, who was there with her children and husband, expressed the purpose of the holiday in four words.
“Kids are our future,” she said.
Along with Mariachi Bravo, there was a 45-minute performance by bilingual band Alina Celeste and Mi Amigo Hamlet, as well as crafts, games, snacks and frozen custard. More than 120 people took part in the event over two hours.
El Día de los Niños is a major celebration in Mexico. As a diverse community with a significant Hispanic population, Cordova said it is important to hold events to celebrate different cultures at appropriate times. The holiday is devoted to children, and the entertainment was geared toward youngsters.
“It’s a day when people celebrate children and do things with children,” Cordova said. “There will be special outings or gifts. It’s an official celebration in Mexico, where the community celebrates, and we want to acknowledge that here.”
Jeanine Woodman is a music teacher in District 60 who works with the elementary school mariachi ensemble. She said the students participating on Sunday were from McCall and Little Fort elementary schools. Mariachi is an extracurricular activity for elementary school students.
“The library is having this El Día de los Niños celebration, and this is an opportunity to play for the public,” Woodman said.
For Camilia, playing for the family audience was more than a public performance. She is proud of her family’s roots in Mexico. The major reason she joined the band was that she considers the music part of her.
“I feel really proud of this,” she said. “I love to see everyone having fun for El Día de los Niños and being part of it.”
Maria Garcia, Camilia’s mother, said she is pleased her daughter is part of the holiday and understands its significance. She likes seeing her daughter participating in the holiday, both as a youngster and doing something for other children.
For the first 45 minutes of the celebration, the Alina Celeste Mi Amigo Hamlet duo entertained the youngsters. She led them in a variety of dances with the music mostly in Spanish, but also in English. The youngsters used arm motions and the props she gave them. The dual language component is important.
“Singing and dancing help you understand the world around you,” Celeste said. “It gives you access to dual cultures. Language is an essential part of being human. It’s how you learn about a culture and a country.”
Bout said she was raised in Waukegan and returned to raise her family there because she wanted them to be exposed to both her Mexican culture and the Dutch ethnicity of her husband, Chris. Their son, Maddox, an Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School first grader, knew why he was there.
“Because I can dance,” Maddox said as he moved to the music while standing with his family.
Leo Contreras, a first grader at Learn 6 Charter School at Naval Station Great Lakes, was there with his mother, Angela Izquierdo. She said she was there to expose him to his culture. He had a two-word answer for what he liked best.
“Ice cream,” Leo said.
Cordova said the event was partially sponsored by the Friends of the Waukegan Public Library.
