IU students celebrate ‘Day of the Dead’

Halloween might be over, but the link between the living and the dead is not yet broken.\nToday is El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. \nObserved in most Latin American countries, this is a day of honoring one’s ancestors and celebrating their lives. \nBeginning at 7 p.m. today, Foster Residence Center’s Formal Lounge will host an El Dia de los Muertos program to commemorate the holiday and explain its significance.\nThe tradition of honoring and celebrating the lives of the dead originated in the indigenous cultures of Mexico and several other Latin American countries, said Rebeca Hernandez, Foster Global Village resident adviser. \n“Death was not seen as the ultimate end of a person’s existence but rather as a re-birth into another world of the dead,” she said.\nIn more modern times, El Dia de los Muertos falls on the same day as All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, traditional Catholic holidays, Hernandez said. \nSeveral Latino communities spend their holiday at cemeteries where their ancestors are buried, decorating the graves and offering traditional Day of the Dead foods, flowers and herbs, she said. \n“Others build beautiful altars for their ancestors in their homes and invite family and friends to come over and celebrate with feasting and praying,” she said. “The goal of all of these activities is to invite the dead to enjoy the fruits of living once again and let them know that they are still cherished.” \nThis year, the theme of the Foster celebration is showing the diversity of Day of the Dead celebrations, Hernandez said.\n“We will be observing and learning about the traditions of the Aztec people, the decorating of the grave site, the altar building from Mexico and Bolivia and much more,” she said. \nAttendees of the celebration can participate in different Day of the Dead crafts, such as creating sugar skulls and sampling pan de muerto, or bread of the dead.\nThis celebration of the dead is becoming an IU tradition, Hernandez said. \n“In the past, we have even dedicated altars to Herman B Wells,” she said. “It is important to share with the IU community because it is an alternative way to view a very sensitive subject while building community among IU students and staff as we realize we are all just people with our own losses in life.” \nHernandez said that El Dia de Los Muertos is a time for her to share the grieving of her ancestors with other people in a way that honors and celebrates their lives before and after death. \n“Since it is a festive holiday, I always leave with a more positive understanding of the process of life,” she said. “I believe my ancestors wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”