Students to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos this Thursday

Dia De Los Muertos, an ancient commemoration of life and death, will be celebrated on the Utah State University campus on Thursday. The USU LatinX Creative Society will be hosting a variety of events to showcase the Day of the Dead on campus. This will be the third year the celebration takes place at Utah State University and is open to all who would like to participate.

“We have a large following,” said Crescencio Lopez, LatinX club leader and assistant professor at USU. “We hope to keep expanding this celebration.”

Lizette Cruz, a LatinX club member, said she is thankful the tradition has been brought to Cache Valley and that the university is a part of it.

I always wanted to celebrate, but not by myself,” she said. “We needed a leader like Crescencio to get everyone involved. It as gotten much bigger here in Logan because of that.”

The main event is a processional march to remember the dead, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. near the block A. Students are encouraged to dress in costumes or traditional face paint and join the club in the procession.

Regarding costumes, Christina Carreño, a USU senior, encourages every individual to “Make it you. Make it unique.”

A traditional Día De Los Muertos ofrenda, or altar, will be on display in the TSC ballroom from 12 to 7 p.m. The Access and Diversity Center will also be offering face painting, skull masks, and other crafts from 2 to 4 p.m.

To conclude the celebrations of the day, a showing of “¡Logan Somos Tus Vecinos!” will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the TSC ballroom. This documentary, created by Utah State students, illustrates the experiences and life of Cache Valley’s Latino community.

“Even if it’s not your belief, come out and embrace the event,” Cruz said. “Learn about it and attend. Just come and be part of it. Maybe next year you will dress up. It’s an experience.”

— shelby.black@aggiemail.usu.edu
@shelbsterblack