UCO’s Hispanic American Student Association celebrates Día de los Muertos

The University of Central Oklahoma Hispanic American Student Association hosted its annual Día de los Muertos gathering Friday in the Nigh University Ballrooms, bringing students together to honor deceased loved ones and celebrate Hispanic culture.

The event featured a traditional Ofrenda, a taco bar with various fruits, cultural activities, and student vendors, giving students a chance to remember friends and family members while sharing their heritage with the UCO community.

Día de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Hispanic cultures. Rather than focusing on mourning, the holiday centers on remembering and celebrating the lives of loved ones who have died.

“We use it as a way to bring the culture that we have to UCO…Specifically in Mexico…It’s an event that helps us honor our ancestors and celebrate them.” Said Yaretzi Reyes, President of the Hispanic American Student Association.

Day of the Dead is traditionally celebrated through Ofrenda making, family gatherings, and visits to the resting places of loved ones. The Ofrenda, often decorated with colorful items and photographs, serves as a way to remember loved ones and to celebrate their lives. UCO’s Student Ofrenda is placed in the Nigh Ballrooms, decorated with photographs, candles, and small trinkets symbolic to the people they were honoring.

Activities such as button-making and face painting were also offered at the event, along with booths of various things students were selling, like pottery and T-shirts.

Día De Los Muertos serves as the organization’s final event of Fall, allowing students to come together for one of the holiday’s cultural traditions before the semester continues. 

“We do a lot of events for Hispanic Heritage Month in general, and this is the last event that we do.” Said Reyes.

HASA organizes several events throughout Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate student culture and to provide connection opportunities to Hispanic heritage, according to Reyes.

The University has celebrated Día De Lod Muertos with students since 2014. The event is HASA’s largest annual event during the Fall semester and serves as an opportunity for students to learn about and participate in the Hispanic holiday.

HASA will have a study night for students towards the end of the Fall semester. The organization also plans to continue hosting cultural activities next semester. Visit the HASA UCORE to find out more.