Multiculturalism is part of the fabric of life in Calgary. That was on display in Calgary’s Chinatown on National Pupusas Day.
The Calgary Salvadorian Folkloric Association held their second annual Pupusas Festival on Sunday, Nov. 12 with the goal of connecting Salvadorian culture with the community at large and show how amazing it is with food and music.
“We’ve been around in Canada for so long and there has never been any cultural representation,” said association president Melvi Alvarado.
Alvarado explains that they want to show how vibrant and progressive his country is
“We’re actually the first country who legalized Bitcoin. We have Surf City, so we’re being named the world capital of surfing, and are also hosting very important events such as Miss Universe.”
Pupusas have been around for centuries and were created by the Indigenous tribes of El Salvador known as the Pipil. Popusas festivals are held each year on the second Sunday in November.
“It’s the most representative recipe of Salvadorian culture around the world,” said Alvarado.
Pupusas are flatbreads made from corn flour that can have different toppings such as cheese, loroco flower, pork or beans. They are a staple at many Latin American-themed events such as the Latin Festival and Expo Latino held in Calgary. According to the association’s event coordinator Wendy Mendoza, who is from Nicaragua, the loroco plant can only be found in El Salvador.
The festival was held at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre. According to Mendoza, the event was attended by people from Edmonton, Red Deer, and High River.
“We will have so many cultures today,” said Mendoza. He considers the venue to be a multicultural location in its use and in a centralized location.
Although numerous attendants were of Salvadorian heritage, there were multiple nationalities present.
“I’m always interested in exploring different cultural foods,” said Ron Balser, an attendee in line to try his first pupusa. “I’m interested to see some more stuff here today that I’ve never tried before, that I might become addicted to very quickly.”
The event was made possible by the hard work of diverse volunteers who took part in the setup of the Henry G.D. Chow Auditorium. They also had the opportunity to try the dish.
“I discovered this dish only today and it’s very nice,” said volunteer Tymur Horbach, who is from Ukraine. “I hope (the festival) will be very fun and cool.”
There are about 134,395 Latin American people in Calgary which is 2.3 per cent of the population, according to a 2021 census by Statistics Canada. There are 2,335 Salvadorian people in Calgary according to a 2016 census.
“Salvadorian pupusas and culture is amazing,” said former association member Oswaldo Canales.
Interest was obvious as the auditorium contained more than 300 people of all ages, many of whom were in a long line to get pupusas and Kolashanpan drinks.
“I definitely want to create more awareness of the Hispanic-Latin community just in general here in Calgary, but also what El Salvador has,” said Ingrid Martinez. Martinez became the first Latin woman to win the Ms. Calgary pageant in 2023. “Calgary is my home and El Salvador is my roots.”
Attendee Ricardo Menjivar says he enjoyed the festival because as a Salvadorian, pupusas brought memories, are part of his culture and deserve recognition.
“I grew up eating them,” he said. “Just a lot of memories associated with it, that I’m happy I get to have them in Calgary as well.”
The festival included vendors from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Colombia and Panama. A variety of goods were sold such as candles, jewelry and bags. The event held face painting, dance and pupusa eating contests with giveaways and performers such as Chucho Flores.
“I think it’s important that new immigrants know that it is a community here,” said coffee vendor Amel Adames, who is from Panama. She says that the association is very welcoming to other cultures and nationalities.
This festival marks the Calgary Salvadorian Folkloric Association’s final event of the year. They are expecting to resume in the spring with Expo Fiesta El Salvador, which will showcase Indigenous culture and food such as tamales and empanadas. There will also be the Independence Day celebration in the summer.
