GVSU remembers and honors passed loved ones at Día de los Muertos event

The ofrenda, an offering altar, in the Office of Multicultural Affairs is adorned with traditional offerings and decorations for the office’s Día de los Muertos observance.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a day of remembrance for loved ones who have passed. The holiday traditionally takes place on November 1- 2, welcoming loved ones’ spirits, honoring and celebrating them.

Among the traditional offerings on the ofrenda are copal, an aromatic tree resin that is burned during the celebration and believed to elevate prayers; water and salt, to purify and cleanse the altar to ward off evil spirits; calaveras, sugar skulls that symbolize the sweetness of life; cempasúchiles, marigolds meant to lure loved ones; and candles, whose light is believed to guide the spirits on their way back to the living world.

Finishing the ofrenda are photos of the loved ones being remembered. Often with the photo are food, drink or other items of significance to the person’s life.

Ayebah Wilson, an assistant director with OMA, placed a photo of her siblings and her grandfather on the ofrenda as well as an abalone shell that she filled with sacred medicines.

She said OMA’s Día de los Muertos event brings students’ culture to campus after moving away from home.

“It's an opportunity to bring that representation to campus, but also the ability to share the memory and the love of those loved ones that are gone,” Wilson said. “For me, that's always been a big thing in what I do is leading a life that I hope honors my siblings.”

During the celebration, attendees witnessed a performance of “Amor Eterno” by fourth year student Yami Osorio as well as a dance by GVSU's Monarchas.

The Monarchas performed a dance called “La Bruja,” or “The Witch,” to a dance style from the Veracruz region of Mexico. The group also brought spiced coffee called café de olla, hot chocolate and conchas, a sweet bread for eating as well as sugar skulls for attendees to decorate.

Baleria Muñoz, vice president of Monarchas said the Día de los Muertos event helps make people feel united.

“It makes me feel like I have a place to be,” Muñoz said. “I love little events like this that bring cultures together and especially bring more people in from other cultures so that they can learn about traditions.”

The ofrenda will remain on display in GVSU's OMA office through November 6 for community members to visit, observe and pay respects to loved ones being remembered.