Photo essay: Day of the dead
Published Nov. 4, 2008
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A remembrance shrine sits on display during the Dia de los Muertos celebration Sunday. Traditionally, those celebrating the holiday, which remembers the departed, will construct private alters made up of offerings, toys and Catrinas.
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Marisa Medina purchases a raffle ticket from Jemese Edmonson as sophomore Maggie Wisemore sorts through a stack of T-shirts. Proceeds from the raffle went to funding for Centro Latino and prizes included gift certificates and T-shirts. Centro Latino is a resource center for Latino families in mid-Missouri.
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Francielie Quinn looks at one of the displays set up in Memorial Union during the Dia de los Muertos celebration. In addition to the displays, the event featured authentic Mexican food, music and a fundraising raffle.
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A skeleton sign welcomes visitors to the Dia de los Muertos celebration Sunday night in Memorial Union. The event, commemorating the Mexican Day of the Dead, was sponsored by the Hispanic and Latin American Faculty and Staff Association, the Hispanic American Leadership Organization and the Girl Scouts.
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Samantha Brito-Sampablo attends the Dia de los Muertos celebration Sunday dressed as a witch. The event was open to the community and costumes were encouraged.
It'd be easy to write off Día de los Muertos as just another Halloween-time celebration, complete with candy, traditions and skeletons - lots and lots of skeletons. But the Mexican holiday is different in many ways. With Aztec origins, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, puts a completely different spin on death and the afterlife, something traditionally associated with scaring the pants off Halloween celebrants all over the U.S. But in Mexico, and as observed today, death is something to be celebrated. Getting the full treatment of ornate altars, traditional foods (most notably, sugar skulls) and festive music, it's no wonder why departed spirits make the once-a-year return back home.
On Sunday, the Mexican celebration was brought to Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union, which was transformed into a festive atmosphere to celebrate the dead. Hispanic and Latino student and faculty groups hosted the event, which was open to members of the community. In addition to traditional celebrations, a raffle was held to benefit local community group Centro Latino.
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