Students and community members gathered on Oct. 28 in the Luria Library to honor the memory of loved ones at the Día de los Muertos community altar.
Originating in central Mexico, Día de los Muertos traditionally lasts two days, with ofrendas, or altars, being put up in late October and left standing until early November.
The event was held by Raíces, the PRIDE Center, Umoja, EOPS and the Luria Library to give a space for people to grieve, reflect or share their memories of those who have passed.
A sage ritual began the building of the altar, which was followed by the Origins of Alter Elements Plática talk presented by guest speaker and integrative psychotherapist Pati Cortez Washington. In her talk, Washington engaged with the audience’s experiences and highlighted the importance of making time and space for grief.
“These are practices of love, grief and connection [that] are not finite,” Cortez said. “They transcend and so just as we are tending to the altar, we are part of the altar.”
She also highlighted the community aspect of the ofrendas, where members are encouraged to lean on one another or fall back on people during difficult times.
“It’s communal,” Cortez said. “Grief is not meant to be taught in isolation; bring it into the community.”
The artistic and symbolic aspects of the ofrenda were brought up, such as the cempasúchil (marigolds), the different bread and pastries used as offerings, as well as the use of sage and rosemary.
Additionally, Cortez invited those who wished to incorporate the practice into their lives in a way that helps them and in a respectful way to the culture.
“Honoring the tradition of altares is really honoring the grief, but above all, honoring the relationship that continues to unfold,” Cortez said.
Attendees spoke on their own experiences creating ofrendas and how it has served them, along with the variations in them from culture to culture. Umoja Program Adviser Lelia Richardson highlighted the similarities between the Mexican tradition and common African practices, with Umoja having its own altar year-round.
“In our altar, which is [what] you think of the West African celebrations of, like, Yoruba, or Arishas or Lakumi, or different traditions have followed that path and have changed once it’s hit Latin America, that’s the African presence,” Richardson said. “You’ll see altars, or ofrendas, where you’ll have food that’s there, a drink from the loved one, colors, flowers, a lot of natural elements. For me it was a very easy connection.”
Although the ofrendas originated from Mexico, Richardson invited those who descended from similar practices to take pride in and see themselves in it.
“Sometimes students could be like, ‘Oh they’re celebrating Día de los Muertos, but where am I?’ You’re in there too,” Richardson said. “You get to take ownership and use this as a tool; there’s a lot of grief right now happening.”
The altar will be on display until Nov. 6. Until then, all are welcome to write notes and put photos on the Ofrenda to remember their loved ones.
