Night of the walking dead

Her memorable experience during a project in Mexico inspired her to organise Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican festival, in Singapore.

Sounds familiar? You may have seen it in the opening scene of the latest James Bond film, Spectre.

Called the Day of the Dead in English, it is a holiday on Nov 1 in Latin America and mostly in Mexico, celebrating the deceased with a huge party of food, drinks and other fun activities.

Miss Angelina Lourdes, 27, is the brain behind Dia de los Muertos Singapore, when about 2,000 attendees had a first-hand taste of the deadly affair last Saturday.

The Singaporean told The New Paper last Friday: "I was the creative producer for my project last year, Pasar Singapura: The Bazaar, when we flew in Singaporean talents such as DJs and artists to share their ideas and mix with talents in Mexico.

"While I was there, I realised cultures between Mexicans and Indians were similar in terms of music and food. So I really wanted to bring the event to Singapore to create a cultural bridge that was easily digestible."

TNP PHOTOS: ARIFFIN JAMAR

This was the second year that Dia de los Muertos Singapore was organised. Miss Lourdes commemorated celebrities who died this year.

She said: "We have seen too many high-profile people who died, so we honoured David Bowie, Prince, Muhammad Ali and (Mexican singer) Juan Gabriel.

"These people transcended all cultural norms and were national icons, which would be easier for people to identify with."

The event was co-organised with DMR Productions, and visitors got the full Mexican treatment at Emily Hill, near Selegie Road.

There was a Mexican ballet, storytelling sessions, "sugar" skull making workshops for children, and the famous Dia de los Muertos altar with visual projections of dead celebrities.

Mexican DJs Esamipau and Jacinto Di Yeah were also flown in for the event, which included local DJ K.

Miss Diana Parra (above), a researcher in her 30s who attended the event in traditional Mexican "skull: make-up, said: "I arrived in Singapore from Mexico just over a week ago and I had been looking for an event that celebrates the Day of the Dead.

"I didn't expect to find anything and some of them didn't seem to understand the culture and history behind the event.

"But this one seems so authentic, which is why I knew I had to come in full make-up, just like I would back at home."

Another attendee, Miss Praseedha Nair, 23, a University of Leeds student, said: "The vibe is awesome and the entertainment is great. I have never heard of the Day of the Dead and it's cool that I can learn so much about Mexican culture while having so much fun."

Mr Shawn Lourdusamy, 43, founder of DMR Productions, said: "This is something new to Asia and can be quite educational for some, as we can break some taboos surrounding the topic of death."

- Additional reporting by Ariffin Jamar

"I realised cultures between Mexicans and Indians are similar in terms of music and food. So I really wanted to bring the event to Singapore to create a cultural bridge that was easily digestible"

- Miss Angelina Lourdes, organiser of Dia de los Muertos