Hispanic festival celebrated

November 6, 2006 —

Students celebrated el Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, on Wednesday in the Multi-Purpose Room. The event is a national holiday in Mexico, the purpose of which is to commemorate the deceased with festivities rather than mourning. In the Aztec tradition, it is said the path to the afterlife must not be made slippery by the tears of the living.

The Hispanic Interest Student Organization and Sigma Lambda Gamma hosted the event. According to Kristina Salcedo, the President of Sigma Lambda Gamma, the event was intended to heighten cultural sensitivity on campus.

"We just wanted to promote more culture on campus," she said. "A lot of people are looking for that."

This included the painting of a Day of the Dead-themed mural on the glass in the atrium of the Student Life Center.

Salcedo noted an improvement in participation from last year, but hopes that next year even more people will join in. She said that in Mexico, the Day of the Dead is a community-based event, and differs from its American counterpart in a significant way.

"It's not like Halloween, with candy and trying to scare people," she said. "They have that much more respect for the dead."

Salcedo said the holiday's popularity may be due to how it can often touch people on a basic emotional level."It's something very true to your heart," she said, "remembering loved ones that have passed away."

International studies major Raquel Ledesma, Vice President of Sigma Lambda gamma, also commented on the festivities when asked why the Day of the Dead has transitioned to the United States as well as it has.

"I want to say probably because we like to party," she joked. "But no, I don't think they really celebrate any other holiday like this one. Christmas, you celebrate with your family but this involves the entire community. They're all going to the cemetery together as a community to decorate these gravesites."

Ledesma mentioned in her opening monologue that Mexicans celebrate el Dia de los Muertos with food and drink because the journey to the afterlife can make one's stomach growl.