On the evening of Saturday, Nov. 2, the University of Idaho’s annual Día de los Muertos celebration commenced. The event was held by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and was contributed to by UNITY, a collection of multicultural organizations at UI.
Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that is typically observed from Nov. 1-2. It is celebrated widely in Mexico and by Americans of Mexican descent as a means of honoring the dead. The holiday features processions, games and ofrendas, or altars specifically meant to honor deceased loved ones. Marigolds, also referred to as cempasúchiles, and sugar skulls are common symbols of the holiday.
UI’s celebration began with an educational presentation about the holiday and then transitioned into several games and crafts. These included lotería, a fast-paced version of bingo involving drawn cards and illustrations rather than numbered and lettered balls, as well as the painting of wooden skulls and construction of paper cempasúchiles. These events were led by student volunteers from various fraternities and sororities on campus.
Afterward, attendees were provided with candles and printed lyrics to several songs and invited to bring pictures of their loved ones to a procession around the Bruce Pitman Center. Upon returning, students listened to live music before they were treated to their choice of pan dulce (sweet bread) offerings included puerquitos (pig-shaped gingerbread), conchas (shell-shaped bread) and cuernito (crescent-shaped bread).
Attendees were able to connect quite easily with the culture and celebrations. “I grew up celebrating Día de los Muertos with my parents back home, and so coming to the celebration helps bring back those memories,” Vio Valera, a sophomore returning to the event, said. “I really liked playing lotería because I used to play it with my cousins all the time. I also liked when we went outside with candles and came back inside to listen to the music. It was a very beautiful moment.”
Denessy Rodriguez, the Program Coordinator of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, hopes that even those that didn’t grow up celebrating the holiday can take something away from it. “I think it can be a tradition that everyone has,” she said. “I think it’s a great way to celebrate your loved ones in a really happy way that’s not quite so heavy on grief.”
As with traditional celebrations, altars were constructed and available for viewing. Altars were judged and awarded prizes: first place went to a collaborative effort between sororities Kappa Delta Chi and Sigma Lambda Gamma; second place went to the Organización de Estudiantes Latino Americanos (OELA); finally, third place went to the sorority Gamma Alpha Omega.
Cal Torres can be reached at [email protected]