Editors Note: “Día de los Muertos” and “Day of the Dead” are used in this article interchangeably due to mixed use by live sources and primary source material.
The Latine Student Union and Mecha de UW held events Nov. 2 to celebrate Día de los Muertos at the University of Wisconsin.
Día de los Muertos is a two-day celebration reuniting the living an the dead, which originated in Mexico and is now practiced worldwide, according to the Day of the Dead website. The holiday traditionally involves creating “ofrendas,” or altars, with photos, flowers and offerings celebrating the lives of loved ones who have passed away.
Celebrating Día de los Muertos on campus is an important way for Latine students to practice their traditions and foster a sense of community, Mecha Campaign Committee Chair Sol Dashnaw said.
Mecha’s celebration began with speeches about Mecha alumni who have passed away, after which attendees were invited to decorate sugar skulls and create an altar for those who passed.
“Our Day of the Dead celebration was a way for us to commemorate our cultural celebration and be able to practice our traditions, even when we’re not in our homes or in our homelands, with people associated with our organization,” Dashnaw said.
LSU held their event in Grainger Hall and invited UW senior and artist Victor Hugo Jimenez to talk about the tradition of papel picado, Jimenez said. Papel picado is colorful paper with designs punched out and originated with the Aztecs and Mayans, Jimenez said.
During the events, students practiced creating their own papel picado artworks.
Papel picado often accompanies other decorations in a family’s ofrenda, an altar dedicated to honoring loved ones who have passed away. Jimenez shared a storybook he made using papel picado in which a deceased dog is shown moving into the afterlife.
“My work is tied back to the Day of the Dead because it is seen as a way for your loved ones to be able to find their way back to you and from the afterlife to the present. Just kind of like you’re honoring them and they’re still with you,” Jimenez said.
Including artwork and pictures of loved ones in an ofrenda is a way to honor and remember them in a positive light, Jimenez said.
Having Day of the Dead celebrations on campus is very important because remembering loved ones is a heavy and emotional experience, Jimenez said.
Several other on-campus organizations held Día de los Muertos events as well. The Latinx Cultural Center held an event Oct. 30 in the Multicultural Student Center lounge where attendees joined together in creating a community ofrenda. The Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority also hosted a Día de los Muertos event at the MSC lounge Nov. 1 in conjunction with other Greek organizations. Attendees created individual ofrendas to honor loved ones.
“Celebrations are a place where you can really process your emotions together, but it’s definitely very heavy, remembering your loved ones, knowing that you can’t do anything to bring them back,” Jimenez said. “But organizations like LSU have been a great help at least for me, it’s just been a great experience to come and share some of my work.”
