October 15, 2007
Purdue's Latino Cultural Center to celebrate Dia de los Muertos
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University's Latino Cultural Center will celebrate the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, with crafts, music and food from 4-7 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Morton Community Center, 222 N. Chauncey Ave.Every year on Nov. 1 and 2, families in Mexico celebrate Dia de los Muertos. It is a celebration with a long history rooted in the indigenous cultures of Mexico. Today it is a mixture of indigenous ritual, Catholicism and pop culture, and an illustration of the flexibility of culture and the importance of holding on to one’s history and roots.
"We are happy to be able to celebrate the event on the actual day of the dead for the first time," said Latino Cultural Center program coordinator Gilberto Corral. "It's not Mexican Halloween, as many people might believe. It is a way to remember and honor of those who have departed by preparing altars for them, showered with special foods and their prized possessions."
The event is free and open to the public. It will feature craft stations where families can create Dia de los Muertos skulls and other holiday art. Traditional Mexican music and foods will be offered, such as beans and rice, as well as pan de muerto, or bread of dead, which is often shaped to resemble skulls or bones.
"For the first time this year, we will pull in an interactive educational component with a living wax museum of famous Latinos in history," Corral said. "Students will be dressed as famous figures, such as César Chavez, Emiliano Zapata, Frida Kahlo and Evita Péron, and will give personalized presentations on each character."
Students, along with community organizations, will showcase altars to honor the memory of someone who touched their lives, from a family pet to a baseball player. Purdue groups participating include the Latino Student Union, Sigma Lambda Gamma and the Embajodores, a student volunteer group at the Latino Cultural Center. Community groups include the Latino Coalition of Tippecanoe County and high school teachers and students from the West Lafayette and Lafayette area.
Information is available from the Latino Cultural Center at (765) 494-2530, https://www.purdue.edu/lcc. The center is open each Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Latino Cultural Center is Purdue's first center for Hispanic and Latin culture. The center strives to provide a venue where people of similar cultures, values, customs and language can unite to share ideas and events with the university and the community.Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu
Source: Gilberto Corral, (765) 494-2530, gcorral@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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