2008 Woodie Awards
Community honors Dia de los Muertos
Day of the Dead honored with vigil, memorials around campus
Jennifer Steele
Issue date: 11/7/06 Section: News
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LASA wanted to have a Dia de los Muertos celebration on campus this year in order to give people time to remember those that they've lost. LASA Public Relations Officer Randy Lopez said, "LASA views themselves as a home away from home and wanted to give non-LASA members a chance to experience that same feeling." LASA also wanted to give all students a chance to participate in a customary Latin event.
Speakers reading an explanation of Dia de los Muertos started the ceremony. Participants were each able to light a candle in honor of someone they had lost, someone they wanted to remember every night, but especially on the day of the dead. The ceremony concluded with a prayer said aloud in both Spanish and English that read, "Those who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end. I pray in hope for my family, relatives and friends, and for all the dead known to You alone." After the prayer, LASA invited attendees to talk amongst themselves, look at the altar, and enjoy the snacks.
Day of the Dead is a tradition that many believe was started approximately 3,000 years ago by the indigenous people of Mexico. The Spaniards saw the tradition and tried to get rid of it, but failed. Now Dia de los Muertos is celebrated everywhere from Mexico to the Philippines to the United States.
The specifics of the celebration vary today based on location, but modern celebrations blend both the native and Roman Catholic elements, so the festivities typically include a prayer or mass.
One of the main beliefs about Dia de los Muertos is that the family member comes back and stays with the family for the night. Because of this, altars are made in either the home or the cemetery and consist of the deceased's favorite food, flowers, and other things. On campus last week, there were six different altars set up, each in recognition of a different group of people: in Brother Jerome West, dedicated to the Brothers, in the chapel foyer, dedicated to friends and family, in Delphine Intercultural Center, dedicated to leaders and influential people from around the world, in Fillipi Hall, dedicated to children, in Program Board, dedicated to those who have died crossing the border, and in the Women's Resource Center, dedicated to the women from Ciudad Juarez.
When asked why she attended the event, Ariana Peña '10 said, "It was something I'd never done before."
The Dia de los Muertos ceremony was a nice break from the hectic schedules of Saint Mary's students and a chance to remember those who have passed on; it was a way to stand quietly and think about how important people are.