In celebration of Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, an altar and poetry display are being presented from Nov. 1-8 in the University of Alabama Student Center. The holiday is celebrated in early November and widely celebrated in Mexico as well as other countries as a remembrance of family and friends who have died.
The event is a collaboration between various UA associations that focus on recognizing Hispanic and Latino cultures, including the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Modern Languages and Classics, the Hispanic-Latino Association, the Latinx Faculty and Staff Association, and the Sigma Delta Pi National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.
Yunuen Gómez-Ocampo, Spanish instructor at UA, coordinated and decorated the altar, along with other events to celebrate the holiday.
To celebrate the lives of loved ones who have died, altars are built with photographs, candles, food, drinks, marigolds and more. According to Gómez-Ocampo, other items may be incorporated, such as personal belongings, decorated tissue paper and offerings, including sugar skulls.
“On November 1st I lead a community engagement event with interactive activities and storytelling at University Place Elementary School with my students of SP368 Translation and Interpreting,” Gómez-Ocampo said.
Erin Hidalgo, a senior majoring in Spanish and international studies, organized an event with other members of Sigma Delta Pi to create calaveritas, which are traditional Mexican poems associated with Dia de los Muertos and are displayed next to the altar as part of the decoration.
“These poems are traditionally humorous and satirical, as they depict a relative, friend, or celebrity in the act of outsmarting death, or ‘La Huesuda,’ a female depiction of death in Mexican culture,” said Hidalgo, director of recruitment for Sigma Delta Pi. “It was an amazing event, and we cannot wait to collect more calaveritas next year!”
On Nov. 7, a panel with leaders from Hispanic and Latino community programs will discuss their involvement in Tuscaloosa’s Hispanic and Latino communities with UA students and have food samples for attendees.
“This is a series of cultural events to learn about the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead, and community advocacy efforts,” Gómez-Ocampo said. “We intend to foster relationships with the local Hispanic and Latinx community by hearing the experiences of community leaders.”
