Dia De Los Muertos Celebration
Saturday November 2, 2019
Do you celebrate Dia de los Muertos? The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday dating back to the Aztecs. This holiday is celebrated each year from October 31- November 2. The University of Oregon community sponsored an annual Dia de los Muertos celebration on campus in conjunction with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on November 1 and 2. This event began with poetry readings and continued with cultural dancing and music. In another room in the museum there was a live video feed streaming the dancing and music; there was also an array of art made by community members for sale. This event provided coffee and pan de muerto (traditional sweet baked good).
Historically in Aztec culture, after a person dies their spirit passes through to the land of the dead. After completing a journey consisting of nine levels over the course of several years, the deceased soul will find its final resting place. At this time, it is presumed that the border between the real world and the spirit world disappears and the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living to rejoice in celebrations.
To commemorate the dead, family members leave offerings to deceased loved ones on altars (ofrendas) or leave them directly on their graves. Altars can be small or large and tend to be very decorative and meaningful to its recipient. Many altars provide aid, such as food and water, from relatives while the spirit continues their journey to the final destination. Candles, colorful skulls (calaveras) and decorative skeletons (calacas) are among some of the holiday’s decor.
Six traditional items that are usually be found on altars are calaveras, flowers, perforated paper, bread of the dead, salt and photographs.
Decrorative calaveras and calacas are symbols of the holiday. To the Aztecs, skulls were a positive representation of moving on to a higher level of life, symbolizing death and rebirth. The calaveras embody the deceased who are receiving offerings from the altar.
The historic flower for celebrating Dia de los Muertos is marigolds which are known as the flor de muerto. It is believed that their bright color and blossoming smell entice souls to the altar.
Perforated paper (papel picado) is tissue paper that can be bought pre-cut but is traditionally cut by hand. The holes in the paper create a passageway for the souls to migrate through and visit the living. It is believed that the delicacy of the paper translates to how delicate life is.
Bread of the dead (pan de muerto) is a sweet baked good with a sugar covered top for the hungry souls. On the altar, salt is arranged in the shape of a cross on the altar to quench thirst and diminish the possibility of a soul being corrupted. Photographs of the deceased are also found on altars; it is said that without the photos the soul will not be attracted to crossing over.
The celebration held in the museum had many events. The night began with poetry read by students at Oak Hill High School and continued with dancing from the community and live music from the mixtec group Pasatono Orquesta, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico.
There were many different pieces of art made by community members, from paintings to sculptures, all related to the holiday. The art were moderately priced and artistic and many were colorful. For the children, there was a room with tables filled with arts and crafts and face painting provided in the form of calaveras.
Pasatono Orquestra played many beautiful songs. One song that stood out was called “Cancion Mixteca” which was dedicated to immigrants . This was a touching moment for some attendees who related to the song on a deeper level.
Community member Margarita Garcia became emotional when she heard the song. Garcia said the song “speaks about a person being away from the sun and how he yearns to see it now so far, living without light and love.” This song was special to her because she felt more connected with her daughter and said, “sharing a part of my culture with my daughter is priceless.”
University of Oregon student Yaritza Gruber was enticed by the event. She said “culturally my mother is Mexican so it was nice to see our heritage on display in such a meaningful and dignified way. The exhibit and performances felt very authentic especially seeing the dancers dressed in traditional folklorico clothing.”
Dia de los Muertos is a long standing tradition celebrating life after death. Culture has a way of indefinitely connecting people and this holiday helps connect living family members with their deceased loved ones through their traditions. This event continues to bring many communities within Eugene and University of Oregon together to celebrate.
