BYU students, faculty and community are invited to participate in campus Día de los Muertos celebrations with events running from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4.
Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, honors ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. The holiday is a joyous remembrance of those who have passed on.
“There’s a lot of symbolism and meaning behind this,” Rita Cortez, managing director of the BYU Chinese Flagship Center and organizer of many of the holiday’s festivities, said. “The most important meaning is that families are forever.”
Cortez started Día de los Muertos celebrations at BYU a few years ago, starting with an ofrenda in the JFSB.
“I’ve always loved the culture,” Cortez said. “I wanted people to know about it.”
The celebrations have since grown to include a variety of departments at BYU hosting events and displays for Día de los Muertos.
According to Cortez, the event will be “bigger than ever” this year with celebrations such as various ofrendas throughout campus and musical and dance performances.
Día de los Muertos traditions are popular in many communities worldwide and are especially recognized in Mexico. The celebrations at BYU will include a variety of other countries’ traditions for remembering their ancestors in addition to Mexico.
“We wanted an international … focus,” Cortez said.
Cortez explained the celebrations will be a “joyous event” and will be a chance for all to remember and celebrate their ancestors.
“Come and be prepared to celebrate your ancestors, not to be sad about them,” BYU Spanish and Portuguese professor Lily Blackwell said. “Celebrate their legacy and what you learned about them.”
The Kennedy Center, the BYU Office of Belonging, the Museum of Peoples and Cultures and the Harold B. Lee Library are only a few of the many departments on campus hosting events and participating in celebrating Día de los Muertos.
“It’s an opportunity to share about the services and programs that different entities around campus provide that all ultimately contribute to the gathering of Israel,” Joe Everett, Family History, Local History, and Microforms librarian, said. “BYU as a whole is all about contributing to the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil.”
In honor of Día de los Muertos, the library’s Family History Center will be hosting a showing of the animated movie “Coco” in the Varsity Theater on Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. The Office of Belonging will be giving out popcorn to those at the movie, and various prizes will also be given away.
Everett expressed hope that the event and other Día de los Muertos celebrations across campus will foster a “sense of connection and belonging” across campus through remembering ancestors.
“Family history is one of the ways that people can develop a sense of belonging,” Everett said.
The Harold B. Lee Library will also have an ofrenda on display in the library and other activities to help participants remember their ancestors.
“Everyone’s stories matter,” Everett said.
More information about BYU’s Día de los Muertos celebrations can be found at this site.
