With dancing, poetry, live music and guest speakers, MEChA and community members are celebrating the 20th year of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, at the University.
Día de los Muertos is a traditional Mexican holiday in celebration of the dead starting on Nov. 1 and ending Nov. 2. On Nov. 1, cemeteries in Mexico are open 24 hours, and people come to the cemeteries and eat, drink and spend the night in celebration.
To honor the traditional Mexican holiday, MEChA, the Hispanic and Chicano student union, is holding a celebration in the International Student Lounge today from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will feature dancers, poetry readings and a presentation on the history of the celebration. A band will also perform “corridos,” which are songs for older people, MEChA programs coordinator Alina Hernandez said.
In addition to the celebration on campus, there will be an art exhibit starting Friday and running through Nov. 24 at the Jacobs Gallery in the Hult Center.
MEChA community advisor Armando Morales said he brought Día de los Muertos to Eugene for the first time in 1981. Ever since then it has been celebrated every year with the same offerings and the same festivities, he said. What started in Eugene has since grown, and surrounding communities are also celebrating the Mexican holiday, he said.
“Now a lot of people know about Día de los Muertos,” Morales said.
For the event, MEChA is constructing an “ofrenda,” or altar, that is traditionally built during the holiday for family members that have passed away. Candles, incense and flowers are placed on the altar, along with photographs of the deceased.
“The candles are so (the dead) can find their way back,” Sonya Villasenor, MEChA recruitment and retention officer said.
The deceased’s favorite items, such as their favorite food, music and clothing are also placed on the altar, along with a glass of water, Morales said.
“You put one glass of water on the altar because they are coming very tired from the other world,” he said.
MEChA is also selling “calaveras,” which are papier mâché skull masks, at the event, Villasenor said. The masks are decorations that symbolize death but are not necessarily painted with negative images, she said.
Hernandez added the event is not a sad event, but rather a celebration, so that people won’t fear death.
“(Death) is going to happen to everyone,” she said. “It’s normal, and people shouldn’t be afraid.”