By Miranda Ali ’18
Don’t fear death; celebrate it. That’s the theme of Dia de los Muertos celebrations which the Office of Global Education Office brought to campus on Nov. 1.
There is a common misconception that Dia de los Muertos is the Mexican equivalent to Halloween. However, this celebration is entirely separate from Halloween.
“Dia de los Muertos is a celebration in Mexico where you are welcoming the dead people on the first and second of November,” explained doctorate student Liora Schneider explained, who led the session.
Schneider previously lived in Mexico and was able to present personal experiences as well as factual information about the holiday.
“Instead of being a scary thing, it’s like a celebration because they are allowed to come back and celebrate with the people who are still alive,” Schneider said.
Dia de los Muertos originated when Spaniards conquered the Aztecs in Mexico. After attempting and failing to impose their beliefs on the Aztecs, a compromise was reached. The Spanish conquerors allowed celebrations for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 1 and 2 respectively.
These days are often celebrated extravagantly. Altars are decorated with flowers, candles, and pictures of loved ones. There are normally colorful costumes, sugar skulls, and Pan de Muertos or “bread of the dead. Food and drinks are placed on the altar as well to welcome the dead.
Normally, in the United States, death is seen as a somber occurrence. When a death occurs, people gather at funerals to mourn the deceased. However, this Mexican celebration looks at death in a completely different way.
“We are celebrating another stage of life, just like celebrating birthdays and marriages,” Schneider said. “Now, we are celebrating death”
Rather than mourning the deceased, this celebration is used to remember dead loved ones and celebrate the life that they had. It is seen as a metaphorical reunion between dead and alive loved ones. This celebration is so significant because it celebrates death not as a somber ending, but as another significant part of life.
“Sometimes here in the United States, they don’t understand that it’s different from Halloween,” Schneider said. “Sometimes they think it’s only a Mexican Halloween with different costumes, but it’s not that. It’s a spiritual and religious celebration.”
Schneider created the event because she wanted Americans to be aware of the meaning of Dia de los Muertos, and she also wanted students to see that death does not need to be something depressing. Instead, it can be celebrated as another part of life.
“I spoke with the office of global education, and we thought this could approach death from a different point of view instead of being something scary,” Schneider said. “It’s a holy thing when we can honor the deaths.”
This is the second year that Schneider has led this session for Dia de los Muertos, and she plans to continue leading it annually.
