The Spanish Program in the Department of Languages and Literature invites you to participate in the celebration of Día de los Muertos. We will host workshops, a poetry contest/workshop in both Spanish and English, and an altar competition on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
We encourage all ENMU students, faculty and staff to participate. Community members are also encouraged to participate and are welcome to register under the community categories.
Día de los Muertos is a tradition-filled multi-day holiday that is celebrated during Oct. 31 (Al Hallows Eve), Nov. 1 (All Saints Day), and Nov. 2 (All Souls Day) in México and other Latin American countries. Invitations in the form of altars are made by family members so that the spirits of loved ones who have passed will come back to visit their families.
According to the tradition, children who have passed and are referred to as angelitos (little angels) and they come to visit their families on Oct. 31. The adult spirits are said to visit on Nov. 1 and on Nov. 2, the last day, families attend cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves and tombs, and celebrate the lives of their ancestors.
During these days, people write Calavera poems, called Calaveras. The Calaveras are fun and humorous rhyming poems that eulogize and make fun of the living. They are traditionally written for politicians, teachers, friends or anybody famous, and are meant to be playful and funny. These poems are meant to be playful and funny. You can see examples and steps for creating your own Calavera poem on these websites:
https://www.thinkmakeshareblog.com/literary-calaveras/
https://www.calaveras-literarias.com/calaveras-para-maestros/
Event Schedule
| Day/Time | Event |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. |
Cookie Design Workshop, Poetry Contest/Workshop, and Altar Competition Join us for the cookie design workshop with Calaveras, a poetry contest/workshop with Calavera poems poems in both Spanish and English, and the the altar competition! Contestants in the altar competition can set up in JWLA 100 earlier in the day on Nov. 1, or on Oct. 31. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions. We will be serving food and drinks a the event. We also invite attendees to bring a picture of a loved one who has passed, and anything they want to contribute to the main altar if you don't want to make your own. |
Registration
The Calavera Poems and the altar pictures must be submitted by Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 1:30 p.m. The Calaveras can be submitted in English or Spanish.