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The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Dia de los Muertos: Celebration of Life and Death

“I am my father, my mother and all of the family that came before me. I am as alive as they are dead. This is why I honor their legacy,” said Maria Gonzales.

Gonzales emigrated from Mexico in 1998 and celebrated Dia de los Muertos with her family this weekend. Dia de los Muertos translates to “Day of The Dead” and is common in Latin America, but it is celebrated state-side as well. The festivities began Saturday, Nov. 1, and ended yesterday. Gonzales has celebrated the holiday all of her life.

“My first memory is right after my abuelo [grandfather] died,” she said. “My father was so insistent that we should no longer mourn his death and instead celebrate his life.”

Participating families set up large altars called ofrendas and decorate them with pictures, food, alcohol and items the deceased would have enjoyed.

“My abuelo had such a distinctive smell. For example, he loved smoking these giant Cuban cigars and always smelled like tobacco,” Gonzalez said. “When we made his ofrenda, we made sure to add a few of those for him.”

There was an altar set up at the U at the east entrance of the Union this year. Members of MEChA, a chicano and chicana student group, set up their ofrenda with the theme “Celebrating Resistance.” Juan Salazar, a sophomore in ethnic studies and student director for the table, said he wanted to make an impact on students who saw the display.

“We chose this theme because we wanted to show people being a part of a movement,” Salazar said. “In the news this year there has been a lot of stories that deal with violence or police brutality. We wanted this table to show solidarity as well as support for the people around the country.”

Many students walking past the ofrenda slowed down to look at the small details, such as the tissue paper cutouts and framed pictures.

“We wanted to indulge the moment and engage in these powerful images,” Salazar said. “The idea was to get passersby to stop and really be impacted by what they were seeing.”

Jared Barker, a junior in business, did just that, feeling intrigued by the display.

“I have never seen something like this in Utah before,” Barker said. “I served a mission trip with my family in Mexico one year and saw something similar but never like the one here at the U.”

Around the state, communities at large also celebrated Dia de los Muertos this weekend. Francisco Munoz, painted in full skeleton makeup with a suit and tie, talked about the history behind the holiday at a celebration held in West Valley City.

“I am dressed up like a catrin, which in Spanish means something like a fancy man,” he said. “My wife is around here somewhere and is dressed like a catrina, which is a fancy lady. The catrina started out as a mockery of the upper class in Mexico but has become a staple in the Dia de los Muertos parties.”

Munoz’s outfit also included small bells on the side of his pants.

“When I dance, the bells will wake the spirits up and come join the party in their honor,” he said. “This year I will be dancing for my sister, who passed away last year from a car crash.”

At the celebration, vistors were encouraged to decorate small sugar skulls, writing the name of a person along the forehead to be kept as a sign of appreciation for death. Large bouquets of marigolds in bright yellow and orange were sold to line the altars and brighten the atmosphere. There was also pan de muerto, a pastry cooked in different shapes and colors, sold as a snack for the dead.

Abigail Dominguez, who runs a bakery from her home, said she always looks forward to Dia de los Muertos.

“I come from a large family, and our altar grows bigger and bigger every year,” Dominguez said. “When it comes to pan de muerto, the more interesting the shape the better. Sometimes I try to make them into little skulls, crosses, bones or anything like that.”

The Catholic Church acknowledges Dia de los Muertos with many religious icons as a part of the event. Benjamin Godinez said it is important that the afterlife be a good place for those who die. He held a service in his home that included a prayer circle, rosary recitations and lighting candles with images of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

“La Virgin de Guadalupe is the most important woman in the Catholic Church for me,” he said. “I grew up in Mexico City next to the Basillica de Guadalupe, which was built in her honor … When my mother passed away a few years ago, I started praying to the virgin mother so that my own mother would always be safe and happy in her rest.”

Juana Cortez, a mother of two, started her “Halloweekend” by integrating old and new traditions.

“My children are American, and I am Mexican, therefore we are a Mexican-American family,” Cortez said. “I told my children that if they wanted to trick-or-treat [then] they also had to do Dia de los Muertos. These two days are a part of our culture, and if they stop participating, who will come and dance on my grave?”

Cortez referred to the tradition of visiting cemeteries during the two-day festivities and honoring the gravesites of the deceased. This is done by cleaning away any debris. Food and drink is then consumed while family members reminisce and tell funny anecdotes about the person. This year Cortez visited her aunt at Valley View Memorial and decorated the gravesite with flowers and streamers.

“My aunt was quite the party girl. She was always decorating for a baptism, birthday, christening or whatever silly holiday it was,” Cortez said. “I also brought her a bottle of tequila and little macaroons since those were two of her favorite things. Dia de los Muertos is all about the good memories about a person and, to me, my [aunt] was always a positive light in my life. I want to always remember that.”

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@ArevaloStefani

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