In keeping with the Mexican traditions for the Day of the Dead, El Loco yearly erects an altar honoring the deceased, using colorfully decorated sugar skulls, flowers, candles, and pictures and momentos of the departed, with some of their favorite foods and beverages. Guests can bring photos or other objects meant to honor their deceased loved ones, and we encourage lively discussion and honoring of that person. It is a fun holiday, in no way macabre. We also honor many of those in the public eye who have passed away in the last year. There is ample precedent for revering passed pets also.
El Loco is an Albany institution and landmark in the Lark St neighborhood. It is the longest continuously run restaurant (opened in October 1983) in the Lark St. area and just celebrated it’s 27 year anniversary.
El Loco has been known for it’s margarita’s for years, and is proud to announce the expansion of the café to include a new bar area, opening on October 27, 2010. The bar has an exquisite patina copper top, and will feature an extensive tequila selection, a full compliment of liquors, and a wide selection of Mexican Beers.
One hundred percent of profits from the buffet served during the festivities will be donated to the AIDS Council of NENY and Invisible Children, a charity helping to rebuild the lives of, and seeking an end of the use of abducted children as soldiers in East African conflict.
Monday November 1, 2010 from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
A tequila tasting will take place from 5:30 to 7:30pm featuring the award winning Tequila Espolon, made of 100 % blue agave, with Skeleton-themed labels.
Information Regarding Mexican Holiday “Days of the Dead”:
The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Saints-All Souls' Day) is a holiday in Mexico (the first and second of November) that belongs to the dead. According to traditional belief, the deceased have divine permission to visit friends and relatives on earth, and to share in the pleasures of the living. The Day of the Dead is a beautiful ritual in which Mexicans happily and lovingly remember their loved ones and relatives that have died.
Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. The death of the individual is seen as a journey, for which numerous offerings are needed. Life is looked at as a fleeting moment – a dream - from which death awakens us. Instead of fearing death, they embrace it.
In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate gravesites with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.
