Fourth-year English major Emily Alaves added a picture of her dog who died four months ago to an ofrenda — an altar — amongst dozens of other photos of peoples’ deceased loved ones. The ofrendas were erected on Oct. 30 for the “Latin@/x” UCSB Network Association’s Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, event.
Participates made ofrendas to honor the dead. Michelle Cisneros / Daily Nexus
Alaves said the event, held on Oct. 30, allowed her to be “surrounded by [her] culture.”
“This was my first year making an altar for my pet,” Alaves said. “It was really meaningful to have a picture of [my dog] here and just to get [to] grieve and celebrate his death — that’s really important for me.”
Celebrated from Nov. 1-2, Día de los Muertos is a holiday that honors the dead through ofrendas. It is believed those who have died visit their altars and, in turn, reunite with their loved ones for one night. The holiday originated in Mexico but is also celebrated in other Latin American countries and communities in the United States.
Alongside the Latin@/x UCSB Network Association (L.U.N.A.), Student Engagement & Leadership, Associated Students, Chicano Studies Institute, Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, Educational Opportunity Program, Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (RCSGD), Sigma Alpha Zeta and Sigma Lambda Beta coordinated the Day of the Dead event at the Student Resource Building (SRB).
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s Hispanic Serving Institution and Student Engagement & Leadership provided grants to fund the event.
Roughly 350 attendees gathered at the SRB lawn to eat tamales, conchas or Mexican sweet bread as well as hot chocolate and aguas frescas — a Mexican fruit beverage. UCSB folklorico group Raíces De Mi Tierra performed a traditional folk dance and DJ DSMV WAVS performed as well. Local artist La Catrinita Crafts sold Mexican-inspired jewelry, clothing and other items at a vendor booth, giving a portion of the day’s proceeds to a scholarship for UCSB Undocumented Student Services.
Attendees were encouraged to add to the ofrendas that were inside of the SRB. The ofrendas were decorated with candles, marigolds and food offerings.
Nine ofrendas were set up within the SRB facility and included photos of former Office of Black Student Development Executive Director Elroy Pinks, several alumni, students’ loved ones and musicians including Celia Cruz and Juan Gabriel.
Several departments and organizations prepared their own ofrendas such as activist organization El Congreso, RCSGD, Raíces De Mi Tierra and Undocumented Student Services.
Fourth-year sociology major Denisse Perez attended the event in support of her housemate, who danced in the folklorico performance. She said that she appreciated having a way to celebrate the holiday on campus while enjoying traditional food.
“I’m going to be away from home for this really special event, so I wanted to make sure that I’m surrounded by other people who get my culture and who are embracing and celebrating it,” Perez said. “We actually have an ofrenda back at our apartment. And I think that’s something really special to me.”
First-year economics and accounting major Galilea Vivar said she appreciated that the event was showcasing the holiday and representing Latine culture.
L.U.N.A. was founded 10 years ago by Latine students and faculty and created the Day of the Dead event one year later. One of the organizers, Monica Solorzano, who is also a human subject specialist within the Office of Research, said that sometimes there is an “absence” of spaces for Latine students and faculty but that events such as this help bridge that gap.
“I think it’s gotten a lot better over the years, but this is just one of the events that really gives [us] an opportunity to celebrate together and to share that culture with people who are not necessarily Latinx,” said Solorzano. “[Ofrendas] allow people to talk about and celebrate that part of their life that does deal with loss in a way that is culturally relevant to them but then also to show the beauty of it to people who might not know what the ofrendas are.”
Assistant Dean and Director of Civic & Community Engagement Viviana Marsano said she first became aware of how the event impacted students through previous news coverage.
“I was really moved to hear that the students were saying, ‘It’s the first time that I feel my culture is really honored at UCSB,’” she said. “We want to keep [the event] growing.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 3 of the Nov. 7, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.
