On Thursday, Latino Student Organization (LaSO) and Ándale, IUP’s Spanish language and culture club, teamed up and hosted a Día de los Muertos event on campus.
The activities at this event included face painting, canvas and picture frame painting and making flower headbands. They also played the animated film Coco while the event went on.
When asked about the events Heath Flick (sophomore, philosophy) said, “This is my first LaSO event and I am having a good time, especially with the canvas painting which I enjoyed a lot.”
One of the primary customs related to Dia de los Muertos is making ofrendas, which are altars made in remembrance of loved ones who have passed away. Ofrendas include photos of loved ones, things they enjoyed during their life and candles.
Part of making an ofrenda can include food and drinks that loved ones enjoyed while in the physical world, and this event provided both of those. There were multiple flavors of the Mexican soda, Jarito’s, a tres leche cake, Jell-O, hot chocolate and lime seasoned chapulines, which are grasshoppers.
“I think events like these are important because it helps people express their culture, and is able to communicate to those outside of it as well,” said Katie Morales (junior, English and Spanish education). “There aren’t many of us [Latinos] here, but we are still able to build a strong community even as a small organization.”
Día de los Muertos is a Hispanic tradition in which families and friends get together to remember and celebrate loved ones who have passed away. Unlike the coinciding tradition of Halloween, the overall tone of Dia de los Muertos is less sad or spooky and more vibrant, respectful and joyful.
It’s about keeping those who have departed our physical world close, in more than just memory. It generally runs from October 31 to November 2.
The overall belief is that between those few days the space between the alive and dead is thin, so the souls of those departed from the physical world have an opportunity to come back and visit their families. The main way to honor the return of loved ones is through an ofrenda.
“To me it [Dia de los Muertos] means connecting back to my culture and having a moment to honor and connect with my ancestors,” said Evelyn Rodriguez-Aguilar (junior, early childhood education).
In reference to the things that LaSO and Ándale so, Roriguez-Aguilar also said the following, “It’s nice to feel more included on campus and feel welcomed while being able to have a slice of home while being away.”
For students interested in getting involved with Latino and Hispanic organizations on campus there will be an opportunity on Nov. 13 and 14 called Latino Exploratory Day.
The event will involve current students giving Latino incoming students a tour and introducing them to IUP, in hopes of easing the transition to college. The event will include a scavenger hunt and Jeopardy.
For students looking to get involved in either organization LaSO and Ándale can be found on Instagram at @iup_laso and at @iup_andale respectively.
