"Day of the Dead" is more than remembering

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Every year on November first and second, many KU students and faculty celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday also known as "Day of the Dead." The holiday is for remembering close loved ones with prayers and gatherings.

KU's Hispanic American Leadership Organization prepared an altar in the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center for KU faculty and students to honor the holiday.

Latin American Outreach Coordinator Catherine Butel said the holiday is a fusion between some indigenous traditions of the past and catholicism. In the past the indigenous communities had a two-month long celebration honoring their dead ancestors, Butel said.

"Death was not considered the end of life but almost like an awakening," Butel said.

Pastries and candy skulls are common gifts for the dead during Día de los Muertos, said Nancy Compier, Latin American outreach coordinator. Gifts of marigold flowers are said to bring the warmth and brightness of the sun, Compier said.

Compier celebrates the holiday by visiting the grave of her stillborn sister with her parents on November 1 every year. She said it is customary to dust off the grave and leave flowers.

Día de los Muertos is celebrated in two parts. November first especially remembers children and infants, and November second honors all of the deceased.

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