Photo: Jillian Distler

Día de Los Muertos is a traditional Mexican holiday dedicated to honoring loved ones who have died. The holiday is a multi-day celebration.

The first day, Nov. 1, is dedicated to children who have passed away, and the following day is dedicated to adults who have passed, senior Guadalupe Carnero explained.

Carnero celebrates the holiday every year. She, as a part of the Office of International Students, ran a Día de Los Muertos event in the KAV, which was open to any student. This event kicked off the International Week which explores and celebrates traditions from various cultures to provide exposure for students.

The event included activities such as face painting, calaveras painting, calacas y la catrina painting, flower crown making and a snack station for pan de muerto. There was also an Ofrenda, an altar used to honor loved ones who have died by decorating it colorfully with marigolds and their favorite foods and items.

This is used to guide the spirits, so they can find their way to be reunited with their families. On the third day of Día de Los Muertos, once the dead have gone back to heaven, the living feast off the offerings from the Ofrendas.

Many students, such as first-year Kaitlyn Mercando, went to this event after seeing it advertised in the BSC. Mercando has two years of Spanish experience from high-school and has only previously experienced Día de Los Muertos in that setting.
“If the event takes place on campus, I try to take part, but I wouldn’t have tried to go out and do it myself,” she said.

The turnout was better than expected, according to Carnero.

“There are more people willing to know—a lot [of people] ask questions rather than making assumptions and they’re actually interested in learning about other people’s culture,” she explained.

Students who attended the event also thought that it was a great way to learn about culture.

“I think seeing the descriptions and having a hands-on experience with the activities is interesting and fun,” junior Jennifer Beihoff said.

Prior to and during the event, Día de Los Muertos T-shirts were sold. The Office of International Students made about $800 from the sales and donated it all to One Love Army Mexico, according to Carnero. The Office of International Students often fundraises and always sends any profit to people in other countries who are in need.

To add to the cultural celebrations on campus, there was also a flamenco show in the KAV. Flamenco is a musical Spanish tradition that incorporates singing, dancing, stomping, clapping and other rhythmic beating.

During the performance, Isabel del Día and Ryan Rockmore danced, while Cristian Puig sang and played guitar. The trio performed a variety of songs and dances that originated from different regions of Spain such as Sevilla.

After the first song, Rockmore shared with the audience that the group had not choreographed the performance and that they communicated during the performance by giving and looking for different cues.

“It was intriguing how they didn’t have it choreographed,” and the “strong relationship [between the performers] was fascinating,” junior Savannah Martinez said.

Martinez attended the event to get a different cultural experience and as an outside observation requirement for her modern dance class. She was joined by junior Miguel DeCastro.

“I really liked when [Rockmore] started using the fan. It really accentuated the waving movements… During the guitar solos, it was entrancing to see the hand movements while [Puig] played,” DeCastro said.

Throughout the performance, audience members expressed their admiration for the performers by shouting “Olé!” as encouraged by Rockmore.

At the end of their performance, Día taught audience members a portion of a flamenco dance with Puig’s accompaniment. While Día taught the steps, Rockmore taught the rest of the audience to call out to the rhythm of the dance. The performance concluded with a loud “Olé!” from everyone in the KAV.

Some upcoming International Education week events are a Global Eats Cooking Class Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7p.m. in the Mosaic House and a Karaoke Night Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Bowers Writers House.