Evergreen Brickworks celebrated Dias de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) over the Halloween weekend.

It was the first time the festival was celebrated at the Brickworks. Last year it was celebrated with the Harvest Festival.

Marina Queirolo, food program manager at the Brickworks, was happy that the festival had it’s own day.

“This year it has been clearly focused on Mexico, the Day of the Dead and trying to build up on the cultural diversity of our communities,” she said. “Hopefully it becomes bigger.”

The Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican celebration that honours people who have died. The festival begins with the building of an alter. Every house in Mexico builds this alter to honour those family members who have died.

“You put in your altar fruits, flowers and photographs,” Queirolo said. “Things that you remember from the people that have gone. So we started our day with that; after we did a churro competition.”

The churro competition involved chefs from seven different Toronto restaurants. Churros are sugar coated and deep-fried pastries that have a variety of different fillings.

Jose Hadad is the executive chef of Frida located at Eglinton Avenue and Glen Cedar Road, and the winner of the competition; he’s been making churros for over 10 years. He explained that churros are an important dish in Mexico.

“It’s a celebration thing,” he said. “You don’t do them everyday, but whenever you want to celebrate.”

“ I just feel very honoured that they gave me that trust,” he said.

Dais de los Muertos starts tomorrow in Mexico and ends on November 4.