The University of Utah Library displays Dia De Muertos ofrenda

SALT LAKE CITY — “There is no such thing as death. What it is is a life cycle when you come back. It is not an individual experience. Death is a community experience.”

That’s how Armando Solórzano, a distinguished professor at the University of Utah, described Mexico’s annual celebration of honoring the dearly departed during a Day of the Dead celebration held Friday at the J. Willard Marriot Library.

The celebration was hosted by the University of Utah through the College of Social and Behavioral Science, the J. Willard Marriott Library, the College of Fine Arts and the Division of Ethnic Studies.

The event included an ofrenda, or altar, where community members were invited to share a photo of their deceased loved ones. The altar is a way to share an offering with the dearly departed. Some offerings for the dead include food, flowers, photos and memorabilia.

Other elements of the altar on display included handmade sugar skulls, flowers and papel picado, which translates to “chopped” or “perforated” paper, and banners made of paper or plastic panels cut with intricate designs.

The event also featured a panel session on the cycle of life and death by people from different cultures and spiritualities.

For Roxanne Gray, a graduate student at the University of Utah School of Dance, helping out at the event and celebrating the Day of the Dead was a chance to connect with her culture.

“My family came over several generations ago and went through a lot of forced assimilation,” Gray explains. “I don’t speak Spanish anymore. I didn’t grow up celebrating Dia de Muertos, so it was really valuable and wonderful for me to reclaim that holiday a little bit. And I have three kids, so I teach my kids these things. So it was wonderful for me to connect with my ancestors in a new way that is culturally specific to me…’

As part of the celebration, more than 50 East High School students were also invited to the college to learn more about the school and the Day of the Dead. East High students were able to watch and participate in a Spanish folk dance performance called Sevillanas, performed by students from the School of Dance.

For everyone who attended the event, one theme was true. Day of the Dead is not so much a time of sorrow, but rather a time to celebrate the spirits of the dead and invite them to join their families and enjoy the things they loved.

“I always do an ofrenda for my grandparents who passed away two years ago,” said university student Janet Lopez. “They (Ofrendas) have a great meaning because it is like a bridge so that my grandparents can come back home to us.”

Dia de Muertos is typically celebrated on November 1 and 2, but the Ofrenda/Altar at the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriot Library is on display through November 21 and is free and open to the public.