Poetry Connection: Connecting with Santa Barbara's Fiesta Under the Shadow of ICE

Melinda Palacio

 

This year marked my first participation in Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days or Fiesta. As someone who is normally out of town during the weeklong festival, I had little idea of what to expect. I only knew that I had mixed feelings in participating because of the ICE raids happening in our city and across the state. 

 

In 2012, I wrote a novel, Ocotillo Dreams, about the immigration roundups in Chandler, Arizona of 1997. At the time, it wasn’t difficult to imagine myself being rounded up in an immigration sweep. The novel was published by Arizona State University’s Bilingual Press. Fast forward to 2025 and the threat is no longer fiction but a new reality our cities struggle with.

Dance performances make up the bulk of Fiesta entertainment. Studying flamenco with Rosal Ortega also brought another Fiesta tradition, singing with Flor y Canto, a group that sings traditional old California songs in Spanish. When my dance teacher, Rosal, mentioned she was singing with Flor y Canto, I told her I was interested in joining the group. Last year, I missed singing in the posadas and many of the posada singers are also in Flor y Canto. Joining the group felt like a homecoming. I had joined them for the sheer fun of singing in a group. I didn’t realize there would be Fiesta performances and rehearsals to attend.

For me, Fiesta began on Tuesday, July 29 with the rehearsal and sound check for the Fiesta Pequena the next day. Our group, Flor y Canto, sang one song, La Primavera. The song was a tribute to the late Erin Graffey. Immediately after the soundcheck, Rosal and I rushed to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s event where Rosal danced a Spanish Classical number and her students danced Sevillanas. Our dance set was similar to the one our studio offered at Poetry in Parks at the Alhecama Theatre last April.

Wednesday was the official opening of Fiesta, known as Fiesta Pequeña at the Mission. I was surprised by all vendors and families picnicking. Fellow singer, Nereyda Cotter, mentioned that for years her family and friends always planned to picnic on the rose garden’s lawn and watch the Fiesta Pequeña. This would have been Cotter’s first Fiesta without her daughter who has moved to New York. However, with a little planning from her husband, she was surprised by her daughter who flew in to spend Fiesta with her and see her sing in Pequeña. Fiesta magic. The event was televised for those who didn’t want to brave the crowds.

 

 

 My Fiesta week culminated on Friday with the parade and afterparty for parade participants at the Carriage museum. Dancing in the parade was a fun event for me. I didn’t think ICE would be there to detain and harass many of the participants. I kept asking myself how best to protect myself and others if ICE were to try and disappear people. I didn’t come up with a solution, only a resolution to persist. My mind was at ease when I saw several Charros singing Mexican Rancheras together while they waited to march down Cabrillo. These were strong, fearless horsemen and women, skilled at wielding a rope on horses that pranced and danced. Later that evening, our Flor y Canto group sang half a dozen songs at Noches de Ronda at the Courthouse. There’s enough local talent to fill the courthouse stage all week. With a rodeo and a children’s parade, a carnival, vendors, food, and more dance performances to round out the weekend, Fiesta continued; but I was done by Friday and left for summer vacation. Next year, I will pace myself. 

 

Upcoming Event in Santa Barbara:

Saturday, September 13

Somos Xicanas: Anthology poetry reading and Lowrider Car Showcase, join Sant Barbara Public Library for an inspiring afternoon of lowriders and a powerful reading from Somos Xicanas, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, 40 E Anapamu Street, 12-5, reading at 3:30 inside the Faulkner gallery. Lowrider showcase on display from noon-5 on the plaza.

 

*an earlier version of this article was published in the Santa Barbara Indpendent