Weinberg senior Jackie Nolley lost her grandmother during her high school years, but this weekend the two had a chance to reunite.
Although a loved one’s death is often a cause for grieving, the death of Nolley’s grandmother was a reason for celebration on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Nolley and about 30 other students and parents visiting for Family Weekend commemorated the dead Friday night at the Multicultural Center.
“I’m glad that the Office of Hispanic/Latino Student Services offers this opportunity for students to celebrate people that were important to them,” said Nolley, a Weinberg senior. “My grandmother and I were really, really close. We even shared the same birthday.”
Following tradition, Nolley brought various symbolic offerings that she carefully displayed on two “ofrendas,” or alters, set up in at the center.
Items she brought included: sushi, symbolizing her grandmother’s half-Japanese heritage; chocolate, which her grandmother loved, and a fake pearl necklace, representing the “little costume-type jewelry” her grandmother gave as presents.
“I tried to get things that she would like,” Nolley said.
The Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated every year around the same time as Halloween. Christian holy days, All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, also are celebrated near Halloween.
Tradition holds that on this day, spirits of the dead return home, visit loved ones, feast on their favorite foods and listen to their favorite music.
The holiday celebration was the closing event for Hispanic Heritage Month and Lupita Temiquel, coordinator of Hispanic/Latino Student Services, said she is satisfied with the month of celebration, which included speeches, festivals and film nights.
“We had really well-attended events and a good variety of events, so we were able to reach a lot of different people,” Temiquel said.
Students and parents who participated in festivities perused the altars, enjoyed refreshments, mingled and listened to a short speech by Weinberg sophomore Jackie Azpeitia, who highlighted the significance of the holiday.
“As the old saying goes, ‘Every day is a dance with death,'” Azpeitia said. “So live a life you enjoy, and when the time comes that those you love build altars to celebrate your life on the Day of the Dead, know they are thinking of you and they will join you in their own time.”
A few students who attended the event as part of a Spanish class assignment said they learned something new.
“When I was little, I always interpreted Day of the Dead as a Hispanic Halloween, but it’s really different,” said Liz Hall, a Weinberg freshman.
Weinberg sophomore Mansi Patel said it was nice to learn about similarities between different cultures.
“I thought it was interesting how there are parallels in this holiday and other holidays, such as the Indian holiday that celebrates the dead,” he said.
Azpeitia said the Day of the Dead holds special meaning for her because she lost both of her grandparents about two years ago.
“It’s always significant, but when you have a family member or a friend that has passed away, it becomes even more symbolic,” she said.
