The Latin American Association held their Dia de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” celebration in Jacobus Lounge this past Tuesday as a way to embrace Latin American culture during this spooky season. The Mexican holiday is celebrated around the same time as Americans celebrate Halloween. As a way to honor their fallen loved ones, family and friends gather together to celebrate the lives of those they have lost throughout the years.
LAA set up a banner where students could dip their hands in paint and leave handprints, along with the names of those they want to remember. Another popular emblem of Dia de los Muertos is the calavera, or sugar skull, which is a decorative or edible skull traditionally made of either clay or sugar. These intricate and colorful skulls adorned the paper masks made available for students to wear.
In addition to these homages to Mexican culture, LAA also embraced the spirit of the holidays by including a pumpkin painting station, where students were encouraged to let their creative juices flow while decorating miniature pumpkins. To add to the light and fun atmosphere of the event, there was a photo booth where students could take pictures while they donned their sugar skull masks, glow sticks, and other fun props.
Despite all of the activities present at the event, it wouldn’t have been a proper party without delicious food to go along with it. In addition to Mexican soda, other Latin American dishes were present, such as pan de bono, a traditional Colombian cheese bread, and dessert empanadas. With the success of the event, the Latin American Association hopes to hold even more events that raise awareness of Latin American culture on campus.
