Students invited to participate in Día de Los Muertos through SUB ofrenda

There is a time of year when it is believed that the boundary between the living and the dead is temporarily dissipated, and families can reunite with departed relatives. This time is celebrated with the holiday that is known today as Día de Los Muertos. The origins of this holiday reach back nearly 3,000 years to the traditions of the Aztec and Nahua peoples in today’s Central America.

Family members invite their deceased relatives to this reunion by creating ofrendas, or altars, which traditionally include loved ones’ favorite foods or drinks, decorations, candles and pictures. There is a 24-hour period beginning at midnight on Nov. 1 when departed children can come back and another 24-hour period beginning on Nov. 2 for adults. These deceased relatives return once more to dance, feast and enjoy music with family members.

One of these traditional ofrendas is set up in the SUB hallway by the Office of Student Engagement until Wednesday, Nov. 2, to celebrate Día de Los Muertos at MSU.

The activity is part of a series of events and programs that have taken place in the last few weeks to celebrate and recognize Hispanic Heritage month. These have included a celebration with food, music and dance, a panel discussion with activist leaders of the Gallatin Valley and an event teaching salsa dancing.

The ofrenda in the SUB was a collaboration between members of ASMSU, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Fuerza LatinX. Melissa Ramirez, ASMSU’s senate speaker pro tempore, coordinated the event.

“Besides the people who set it up, it was truly the work and efforts of the LatinX club and their continuous efforts to make this campus more welcoming for students of the Hispanic community,” Ramirez said.

At the ofrenda, students can learn about the history and significance of Día de Los Muertos. It has traditional décor and invites students to decorate a flower and add their own experience to the display.

On their paper flower, participants can respond to questions such as: How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month? What does Celembramos Juntos — which means ‘celebrating together’ — look like in your culture? The paper flowers are displayed on the glass wall above the ofrenda.

Maggie Richardson, the program coordinator in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, described the project's goal: “to create an inclusive conversation about celebrating cultures through what will be a temporary, site-specific, community-created public art display. We invite community members to write their answers to questions about Celebramos Juntos on one of the paper flowers.”

This celebration is part of a more significant effort on campus to create a more inclusive community environment.

“When speaking about diversity on MSU’s campus, the conversation is not just for marginalized groups, but instead it is for the majority of people to create a more inclusive environment for more people. The ofrenda is for anyone to participate in, regardless of their status,” Ramirez said.

Students can exchange their decorated paper flower for a real flower on Nov. 1 starting at 11 a.m. at the ofrenda, as part of the Día de Los Muertos celebration.

“As a member of the Hispanic community, it is exciting and monumental to see representation of our culture on campus and I hope to see it flourish in the years to come,” Ramirez said.