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This will be Maira Sanchez’s first year formally celebrating Día de los Muertos. Sanchez, a senior biology major, said she was inspired to celebrate the holiday after traveling to Mexico this summer.

“I wanted to do a little altar in my room,” Sanchez said. “I had a family member who passed away this summer … I wanted to decorate a frame of her.”

For Sanchez and many other students at Syracuse University, Día de los Muertos is a day to recognize family members and loved ones who have passed away. Recognized on Nov. 1 and 2, the Mexican holiday celebrates deceased relatives by inviting them to partake in festivities with the living.

Various facets of the holiday, like creating an ofrenda for deceased family members or decorating with calaveras, which can be sugar skulls or skull face paint, have bled into pop culture in the United States.

Traditionally, ofrendas — Spanish for “offerings” — are a collection of items that families build to invite their deceased loved ones back to the land of the living. Ofrendas, which are each unique to the deceased person, include some of the dead’s personal items, clothing and a photo of them, as well as a slew of traditional Mexican foods, like pan de muerto, or the dead’s favorite foods. Family members and friends set up the display on an altar or a table.

Coco Koseki, a part-time instructor in SU’s Spanish department, said movies like “Coco” and other forms of entertainment media have introduced the holiday into American culture. These movies can help characterize the message of the holiday to people who may not be familiar with it, she said.

“With the movie ‘Coco,’ … I love the theory that you only die when you’re not remembered anymore,” Koseki said. “I think it’s the most beautiful thing that you can experience, (and) remember with joy, the people that passed away and celebrate them.”

More celebrations of Día de los Muertos will take place on campus this semester thanks to the newly formed Mexican Student Association.

At MEXSA’s celebration, students can create a custom frame for photos of lost loved ones and participate in an open mic to share stories about relatives who have passed on. The club will also show “Coco” to end the night.

Bringing Día de los Muertos to Syracuse has been particularly special for Sophomore Ivonne Ortega, the president of MEXSA. Back home in Los Angeles, she celebrates the holiday with her family by building an altar for her family members that have died.

As a freshman last year, Ortega set up her own altar in her dorm to commemorate her two dogs who passed away. She said she decorated the altar with dog treats, a candle, flowers and sugar skulls to honor her pets and keep her tradition of celebrating alive. Though she was glad to celebrate on her own last year, Ortega said she’s even more excited to celebrate Día de los Muertos with MEXSA.

“Last year’s celebration was me and my dorm,” Ortega said. “But now that there’s a group for Mexican students, I’m just way more excited to celebrate it and be able to share this culture, not just with the Mexican students here on campus, but with everybody.”

The Spanish department is also hosting a Día de los Muertos celebration. Sophomore Adam Baltaxe, the president of Las Naranjas, SU’s Spanish language and culture club, has been working with members of the department to plan this year’s event. The celebration will include an ofrenda, Mexican music, candy and many opportunities for students to embrace the holiday and Mexican culture, he said.

He originally learned about Día de los Muertos from peers he met in middle and high school. Baltaxe said he is excited for other students to take on a different, more positive perspective about death.

“Celebrating the dead, making them want to come back and stay with you as a spirit — I think it’s a beautiful way to kind of look at your past loved ones in a better light,” Baltaxe said.

Sophomore Amy Pena also said she loves the ability to reconnect with her deceased relatives during Día de los Muertos, and view death with a sense of comfort and closure. She’s celebrated the holiday with her family in Texas, but she said she’s excited to attend the MEXSA celebration of Día de los Muertos this year and maintain the tradition of remembering her great grandma.

Día de los Muertos ultimately is a special holiday because of how it brings people together, both living and dead, Ortega said. Even though she can’t participate in her traditions with her family back home, she’s looking forward to the one’s she’ll have with MEXSA.

“We remember our loved ones, but also I think it’s a time to appreciate those who we still have with us,” Ortega said. “That’s why Día de los Muertos is a big thing for me.”

Published on October 26, 2022 at 10:52 pm