Día de los Muertos at Carleton

One of my best friends, Gabby, is of Mexican heritage and she (and LASO) invited everyone on campus to the Día de los Muertos Celebration this past Sunday. Even though I am not of Mexican heritage (my family is Nigerian), I was still able to enjoy my time at the celebration.

What is Día de los Muertos?

Día de los Muertos (a.k.a. Day of the Dead) is a Latin American holiday during which families and friends gather to remember those who have passed on, to look back and tell their stories. The celebration is two days long, a fact which isn’t well known. On the stroke of midnight between October 31st and November 1st, the veil between the spirit and our world is lifted. Notably, souls can only pass over the veil if someone is still alive to tell their story and/or have a photo of them on the ofrenda. (The Pixar movie Coco does a good job of representing that.)

OCT 31: This is the day when families prepare for the arrival of their past loved ones. They set up the ofrenda and decorate it. There is also a lot of cooking to be done to make food offerings for the spirits.

NOV 1: At midnight, the veil has been lifted. This day is used to remember children and babies.

NOV 2: This is the end of the holiday. It is also known as “All Saints Day,” when all of the spirits have passed into our world. Once midnight strikes, the veil between the spirit world and our world closes.

The Celebration

This year, the celebration was held in the Great Hall on October 31st (most likely due to classes being held on the 1st, a Monday). There was a presentation by the LASO board, performers (we got to hear impactful poems both in Spanish and English), and remembrances. People could come up and talk about someone that they want to remember, or they could go up to the ofrenda and light a candle in their honor. After that, there was good food to enjoy! (I was super excited for the conchas.)

Overall, I am very happy that I got to go to this event. Not only did I get to experience a holiday of another culture, but I also got to see a glimpse of the identity of a best friend.

Photos

Of course, I took a lot of photos! Check out the impromptu photo gallery below:

Chisom is a junior Computer Science major, prospective Japanese and Educational Studies minor from Houston, TX, and Little Rock, AR. While struggling through classes, Chisom sends out weekly emails to the Anime Club (since she’s the president), listens to KPOP, and takes pictures around campus (especially during the fall). Chisom enjoys hanging out with her friends, learning about other cultures, and crafting. Meet the other bloggers!