Vol 127, No 55, November 1, 2017

Page 1

NEWS

Vol. 127, No. 55 Wednesday, November 1, 2017

ZERO WASTE GAME DAY PAGE 4

OPINION

HOOKUP CULTURE IS GOOD PAGE 6

A&C

PIZZAREV TAPROOM TO OPEN PAGE 12

A colorfully decorated skull lays atop an altar at El Centro inside the Lory Student Center. The altar was set up in celebration of Día De Los Muertos, meaning Day of the Dead in English. The Mexican holiday begins Oct. 31 and lasts until Nov. 2, when it is believed that the spirits of those who have passed away are able to revisit their families and friends. PHOTO BY BROOKE BUCHAN COLLEGIAN

Students celebrate Día de los Muertos By Maddie Wright @maddierwright

Día de los Muertos is not the Mexican version of Halloween. Día de los Muertos, which translates to Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday lasting from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The purpose of the holiday is to remember and honor loved ones who have passed, but it is often misunderstood in popular American culture.

“We all just come together,” said Yailynn Almanza, a freshman studying business administration. “It’s not a mourning period at all. It’s more like a celebration.” According to Daniela Castillo, a journalism and media communication professor at Colorado State University who wrote her masters statement about Día de los Muertos, the holiday is at risk because many culture celebrate holidays with some

sort of connection to the dead during this time of year. “The one thing that might be able to kill Day of the Dead is Halloween,” Castillo said. “And by Halloween, I mean the cultural invasion from the United States.” Castillo said Halloween may be to blame for the declining practice of Día de los Muertos. “Small towns still honor it, but a lot of families are not doing altars anymore,” Castillo

said. Creating an altar is one of the most common ways to celebrate Día de los Muertos. “Every single thing in the altar has it’s own significance,” Castillo said. “So for example, the incense helps them guide the way. The marigold flowers have a very specific type of fragrance that helps attract these spirits. People also make trails of the marigold flowers to help (the spirits) come to the altar.”

Almanza said the altar is the most important part of the holiday. “The most important part, it’s called the ‘ofrenda,’ but it’s like an altar that you make for your loved ones,” Almanza said. “Basically, the significance is that it’s the one day where your loved ones can come down and talk with you in a very nice way, not in like a supernatural way.”

see Día de los Muertos on page 4 >>


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