HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Holyoke Community College will be celebrating Día de los Muertos on Wednesday.
Día de los Muertos is the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead holiday. This is a day for Mexicans to welcome the souls of their deceased relatives back for a brief reunion and is not a day of mourning, but an opportunity to portray death in a positive light and as part of human existence, according to the National Day Calander.
HCC’s El Centro program and Latinx Empowerment Association (LEA) club are inviting members of the HCC and surrounding community to construct an ofrenda on the second floor of the Campus Center in room 248 on Wednesday, according to a news release from HCC. An ofrenda is a kind of altar designed as a place to celebrate indigenous, Mexican, and Latinx traditions.
“People are invited to bring pictures of their loved ones and any offerings they’d like to include on our community ofrenda,” said Julissa Colón, the director of El Centro.
Raúl Gutiérrez, HCC associate professor of Spanish, coordinator of HCC’s Latinx Studies program, advisor to the LEA club, and a native of Mexico, will give a brief talk about the significance of the holiday at the event.
Attendees will also be able to enjoy pan de muerto, which is a bread traditionally baked in Mexico during the weeks leading up to Diá de los Muertos.
“This is another opportunity for us at HCC to celebrate the unique culture of our Latinx community,” said Colón.
The celebration will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the college campus center.
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