By Lexi White
Features Editor
Dia De Los Muertos, Day of the Dead, is a two-day Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of loved ones who have passed away.
Starting Nov. 1, pictures of deceased family members, scented candles and brightly colored skulls are used to decorate altars in honor of their ancestors.
The Organization of Latin American Students hosted a skull cookie decorating event in honor of Dia De Los Muertos. The organization’s president, sociology major Yasieli Perez, a senior, said that she wanted to give students the opportunity to celebrate on campus while they are away from home.
“Skulls are a symbol of Dia De Los Muertos, and students love free food, so we thought that there was no better way to celebrate the holiday than with a free snack on the side,” Perez said.
Students of Mexican descent were not the only students welcomed to this event.
OLAS made sure that any student, regardless of their nationality, could gain something from attending their holiday-inspired occasion.
“Even if you are not Mexican, remembering your loved ones who have died is important, and I think everyone would want to do that,” Perez said. “We want to give students a place to learn about this holiday.”
Perez said that she does not celebrate Dia De Los Muertos because she is Dominican, but another student in OLAS is of Mexican descent and celebrates the holiday regularly.
Business administration major Catalina Espinosa, a sophomore, is the treasurer of OLAS and said that she wanted to host this event to remind people that there is more than one holiday celebrated at the end of October and early November.
“This is a reminder to students that Dia De Los Muertos is celebrated around Halloween time as well,” Espinosa said.
Espinosa grew up in a Mexican household and said that this holiday is very close to her heart.She wanted to share her heartfelt traditions with other members of the university.
“These days are really important to remember the ancestors that have died before,” Espinosa said. “For me, I use this holiday to celebrate the lives of my grandpa and my old pets.”
When a scented candle is lit, Espinosa is reminded of her loved ones and does not dwell on how they are gone; she honors the meaningful life they each lived.
“When I was little, my mother would tell me that our ancestors would come and be with us, which used to creep me out,” Espinosa said. “Now, I know that we are really just celebrating their lives instead of mourning them.”
Political science major Melissa Erazo, a freshman, said that she attends all the events that OLAS hosts to learn about other Hispanic cultures. She said that she likes to explore new traditions and that this event helped her to do so.
“I think that this event includes everyone, no matter what background they come from, and we can all feel closer to each other,” Erazo said.
Erazo came with business administration major Mayte Calle-Churai, a sophomore. They became friends at a previous OLAS event. Like Erazo, Calle-Churai wanted to learn more about other cultures.
“I’m Ecuadorian, and I love learning about other Latino countries because we are not all the same,” Calle-Churai said. “This event helped me to celebrate the Mexican culture and their holiday.”
