Día de los Muertos is a Hispanic celebration of loved ones, both living and passed on, and is celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2.
The Ogden community hosted a Día de los Muertos celebration on Oct. 29 at the Union Station. This annual event has been celebrated for three years.
Claudia Adina, a worker at the event, explained that for Día de los Muertos people come together to celebrate loved ones who have passed by going to their graves or setting up ofrendas to leave their loved ones’ photos and favorite foods.
Día de los Muertos isn’t an occasion of mourning, but a celebration of life and an opportunity to remember loved ones and the lives they lived.
At the Ogden event, there was music and food, and attendees could wander around shops, get their faces painted, look at cars and see the ofrendas.
Amir Jackson, director of the Día de los Muertos event at the station, said they had 12 community members create and set up their own ofrendas for display. There was also a large altar that anybody from the community could contribute to with photos or items to celebrate their own passed loved ones.
Some who had cars on display in the car show also included ofrendas in front of or in the trunks of their cars.
The celebration brings community members from different backgrounds together to celebrate their loved ones and witness the Hispanic culture in Ogden.
Jackson recounted a quote from Estefani Lopez, the Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator at Ogden-Weber Technical College, who said, “Not only was it a much-needed celebration, but it felt magical as well — it was beautiful to see people of all different backgrounds coming together to learn about and celebrate a tradition that exemplifies the blending of cultures.”
Ruth Rozell has been going to the Día de los Muertos celebration every year and said this year was the biggest group of people to come yet. Rozell loves coming to the celebration to listen to the music and see all the costumes.
The Día de los Muertos celebration in Ogden is a way for the Hispanic community to share their culture while also remembering it for themselves, so they can hand down those traditions.
“Anything we can do to research our ancestry and honor our culture,” Stacy Bernal, who serves on the Diversity Counsel for Ogden City, said. “We want to teach that to our kids and learn about our history, too.”
WSU celebrated Día de los Muertos on Nov. 1 with a few different events, among them classes in which students could learn how to make sugar skulls, skull hand-warmers or how to do Catrina skull face painting.
The Hispanic Area Council set up ofrendas in the small gallery in the Shepherd Union for students to see. There was also an event for students to share some pan de muertos and hot chocolate in honor of those who have passed.
