Luz de las Naciones, a celebration of Latin American culture, will return to the Conference Center on Saturday, November 5, ChurchofJesusChrist.org reported. The “Light of the Nations” festival was virtual in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic measures.
This year’s theme is “Juntos es Mejor,” or “Better Together,” and Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will participate in the event. This year’s celebration features more than 500 musical artists and 11 dance performances from several Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico and Cuba. The performers represent several countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Peru.
“Luz de las Naciones” – “Light of the World” – returns to the Conference Center on November 5, 2022, after being virtual for two years.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“We are grateful to welcome our Hispanic members and other friends in the community to join us in celebrating the beautiful culture we share as neighbors,” said Elder Federico M. Kähnlein, an Area Seventy. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to once again gather in person at the Conference Center.”
Tickets are free but required and will be available starting October 12 at 10:00 a.m. MDT at luzdelasnaciones.org. Due to construction at Temple Square, parking is limited, in-person attendance will be limited, and each ticket will include a free public transportation pass to downtown Salt Lake City via UTA.
It will also be available for viewing on demand on November 19.
“We bring that Latin feel to the feel [God’s love] and it’s just a really nice event,” said cast member Tonali Bruno, 17, whose family has been participating in the festivities for several years. “Being able to dance the dances that bring me back to my Mexican roots is something that’s really special because you don’t get it every day.”
The first Luz de las Naciones event was in 2002. The roots of the outreach go back to the 1920s, when missionaries began spreading the gospel in Spanish to Mexicans in Salt Lake City, according to Church News archives. Within a few years a Spanish-speaking branch was established. By 1960, it had grown and was known as the Lucero Quarter. Performing traditional dances and music helped preserve their culture and has been part of the congregation since those early days – and included a group that performed at the Church’s centennial celebration in 1930 in the Tabernacle. As it was passed down to subsequent generations, those influenced by these groups helped produce what is now known as “Luz de las Naciones.”
The events of the past two years have been virtual with segments recorded in a variety of locations. In 2021, it included musical traditions from Central and South America and the Caribbean, including traditional Mexican dance with colorful skirts and wide sombreros, an Andean-influenced dance filmed on Utah’s Salt Flats, and singing and dancing in a modern day urban setting. . The theme was “Una Luz Para Todos” – “A light for all”.
Elder D. Todd Christopherson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a message of hope and light in Spanish near the end of the program.
“Through technology, you have been able to break the barriers of distance and come together to share songs, dances and love for God in an atmosphere of true brotherhood,” he said.
Elder Christopherson shared how God teaches that there is light in His followers—and that He is the light that others will see when His disciples follow His example.
“The light of Christ is a light of hope, which guides us and gives us faith that if we are faithful things will finally be all right and we will be comforted,” said Elder Christopherson.
