By Marigolds, poetry and songs filled the Anatol Center on Oct. 29 as students and faculty alike came together to celebrate Día de los Muertos.
Themed under the title, “Traditions and Transitions,” the event sought to respect the history and various Indigenous traditions across Latin America and Mesoamerica, as well as the holiday’s transition to the United States.
Among the ‘traditional and transitional’ elements of the celebration was its incorporation of student and faculty-made ofrendas, or altars. This included digital altars that were displayed on a slideshow throughout the day, as well as a miniature ofrenda model.
“We’re looking to honor the tradition in a good way by creating this space for wellbeing and for education and empowerment for those who attend,” said Felicia Montes, an incoming assistant professor of Chicanx Latinx Arts and Social Practice.
Multiple waves of students attended the event to join in on the celebrations.
Students were invited to sit and observe artist performances, a student theater group, student and faculty poetry and participate in a workshop making papel picado, a traditional Mexican decorative craft.
Accompanied by drums played by multidisciplinary artist Marlene Beltran, Montes was a part of a featured performance that involved a traditional song.
An ofrenda, in honor of women activists, was displayed at the center of the event room at the Anatol Center on Oct. 29. The ofrenda featured artists like Rosa Parks and Grace Lee Boggs. Photo Credit: Jamie R. Austria
Various student writings lined the walls of the event room, while student poetry about Dia de los Muertos and loss was read aloud. Assistant professor in Chicano & Latino Studies, Christopher Rosales, also told a story of grief and healing to attendees.
Multiple ofrendas created by campus departments and students were on display. Some notable altars were dedicated to women activists, and another was for those who were killed in the Middle East. A community ofrenda that paid homage to the deceased loved ones of students was also featured.
In dedication to the grandmother’s of students who have passed, junior Spanish major Haydee Brito volunteered and created an ofrenda for the celebration.
“Grandmothers are very important in the family’s construction, most of the time [people] don’t give credit to mothers and grandmothers,” Brito said. “I think it’s important to recognize them as a part of the family and as a part of the traditions.”
The ofrenda displayed images of various students’ grandmothers, as well as cooking supplies, yarn and flowers meant to symbolize each grandmother’s favorite things.
Brito also handed out pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, to those who visited the altar.
The bread is significant to the cultural celebration and its design holds a symbolic meaning. Its shape and cross is meant to symbolize the cycle of life and the bones of those who have passed.
Students visit the community ofrenda, which displays pictures of multiple students’ loved ones who have passed as well as pieces made in dedication to them on Oct. 29 at the Anatol Center. Behind the table, a documentary reviewing the history and significance of Dia de los Muertos played for visitors. Photo Credit: Jamie R. Austria
The transition of this traditional celebration to the U.S also includes the incorporation of other cultures. The event’s community ofrenda incorporated work and pieces from students of various different cultures, such as those of Irish descent, to those of Asian ancestry.
“This is the beauty of the day of the dead, this is the beauty of the Mesoamerican civilizations,” Patricia Amezcua, lecturer of Spanish at Long Beach State, said. “It was not just something for the Aztecs, or the Mayans, it was for everybody. Everybody had the opportunity to rejoice about life and about death and to be a part of the beautiful circle of life.”
The event, while focused on the loss of those close to you, was at its core a celebration. Those who celebrate are remembering their loved ones, celebrating their life and the memory they have left with us.
“The day of the dead is not a sad tradition, it’s a tradition that the Mesoamericans and many Native American civilizations believed connected them with their death,” Amezcua said. “Death is not the ending, it’s a continuation to complete the circle of life.”
