SALT LAKE CITY — “There is no such thing as the death. What it is, is a life cycle when you come back. It’s not an individual experience. Death is a community experience.”
That’s how Armando Solórzano, a distinguished University of Utah professor described the annual Mexican celebration of honoring the dearly departed during a Day of the Dead celebration held at J. Willard Marriot Library on Friday.
The celebration was organized by the University of Utah through the College of Social and Behavioral Science, the J. Willard Marriott Library, the College of Fine Arts, and the Division of Ethnic Studies.
The event included an ofrenda or altar, where community members were invited to share a photo of their departed loved ones. The altar is a way to share an offering with the dearly departed. Some offerings for the dead include food, flowers, photographs and memorabilia.
Other elements of the altar on display were handmade sugar skulls, flowers and papel picado, which translates into "chopped" or "punched" paper and banners made out of paper or plastic panels that are cut with intricate designs.
At the event, there was also a panel session on the cycle of life and death by people of different cultures and spiritualities.
For Roxanne Gray, a graduate student at the University of Utah School of Dance, helping out during the event and celebrating Day of the Dead was a chance to connect with her culture.
“My family came over several generations ago and have experienced a lot of kind of forced assimilation,” explained Gray. “I don't speak Spanish anymore. I did not grow up celebrating Dia de Muertos, so it's been really validating and wonderful for me to kind of reclaim that holiday. And I have three kids, so I teach my kids these things. So it has been lovely for me to connect with my ancestors in a new way that's culturally specific to me…”
As part of the celebration over 50 East High School students were also invited to the university to learn more about the school and Day of the Dead. East High students were able to watch and participate in a Spanish folk dance performance called Sevillanas, performed by students from the School of Dance.
For all who attended the event, one theme was true. Day of the Dead isn't so much a time of sadness but rather a time to celebrate the spirits of the dead and invite them back to join their families to enjoy the things they loved.
“I always do an ofrenda for my grandparents who passed away two years ago,” said university student Janet Lopez. “They (Ofrendas) have a big meaning because, it's like the bridge so that my grandparents can come back into our home.”
Dia de Muertos is typically observed on Nov. 1 and 2 but the Ofrenda/altar at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriot Library will be on display through November 21 and is free and open to the public.
