With hundreds of people in attendance, the Missouri State Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions hosted the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival on Nov. 2.

The annual festival is a deeply rooted tradition in certain areas of Mexico and has gained popularity in recent years. It can be celebrated on the first and/or second day of November.

“This festival is a fusion of the All-Saints Day Christianity celebration and aspects of the Aztec culture,” Dr. Vanessa Rodriguez de la Vega, MSU associate professor of Spanish, said.

Rodriguez de la Vega described the event as a “joyful celebration” where people remember their loved ones who have died.

Vibrant traditions of honor, celebration and entertainment

One of the most important aspects of the celebration is the decorated altar for the “ofrendas” to the dead relatives and friends being honored, according to Luis Lombilla, senior instructor of Spanish.

Some items placed on the altar include traditional “cempasuchil” flowers, the departed’s favorite meals and beverages, a traditional Mexican sweet bread called Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), candy sugar skulls, papel picado banners, candles and pictures of the dead.

“Some attendees participated in an ‘Ofrendas’ competition. They designed mini altars from shoe boxes to honor the deceased,” Lombilla explained.

“This year, besides the altar, we had other forms of entertainment,” Lombilla said.

These included performances by a Mariachi band and the Grupo Latinoamericano Dance Troupe.

“The festival hosted a Catrin/Catrina parade where participants dressed as a Catrina: a female elegant skeleton often dressed in full-length gown, or a Catrin: a male dandy skeleton,” Rodriguez de la Vega added.

Several workshops took place during the celebration, such as sugar skulls decorating, papel picado art and marigold flower art making.

The event also featured a “Calaveritas” competition.

“It’s a satirical poem created especially around the season of Día de Muertos to poke fun at a living person,” Lombilla said.

The event also included cultural tables representing other languages and fields in connection with the celebration.

Outreach efforts result in increased attendance

MSU began celebrating Día de Muertos seven years ago with a small altar in Siceluff Hall’s library.

“The library became too small, so we decided to go big and moved the event to Plaster Student Union” Rodriguez de la Vega said. “We aimed to connect our department with the local community and to make this cultural practice more visible among members of the university as well.”

Since then, the event has expanded by inviting local high schools to attend, including Nixa, Ozark, Clever, Branson, Hollister, Greenwood Laboratory and McDonald County. This year’s participants included over 400 high school students and some of their teachers.

Rosa Shaw, an Ozark High School teacher, said the students enjoyed the opportunity to create an altar to honor the deceased.

“It was a culturally immersive experience of music, dance, traditional crafts, and even a sample of a traditional bread! One memorable experience for our students was the opportunity to create an altar to honor the deceased, which helped them value this tradition,” Shaw said.

Enriching experience for campus community

Lombilla noted that celebrating this festival on campus enriches the university and surrounding community.

“We organize this event to provide members of the campus and larger community with more meaningful and authentic experiences to strengthen their cultural competence,” he said. “This is an aspect of Missouri State’s public affairs pillar that best represents the languages, cultures and religions department.”

The event takes year-round planning, and students within the languages, cultures and religions department are encouraged to participate in putting the event together.

Janette Beckner, MSU freshman and modern language major, volunteered to help with the event.

“My experience with the Day of the Dead Festival was wonderful because it felt so good to have a part of my culture enjoyed by others and because I got to celebrate it with everyone else.” Beckner said.

She added that she was excited to attend future events and help out as much as she can.

Dr. Amy Artman, MSU senior instructor of religious studies, noted that watching students participate in traditional crafts, eat delicious food and celebrate to the music, made this year’s celebration a fun experience.

“The Day of the Dead Festival brings high schoolers from all over into a multi-sensory experience of Spanish culture and language,” Artman said. “I love being a part of it each year.”

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Photos provided by Vanessa Rodriguez de la Vega.