Celebrating Life: UIW Observes Día de los Muertos

Every year, the University community comes together to celebrate the lives of loved ones, colleagues and friends who have passed on with special Día de los Muertos observations. The two-day holiday spanning Nov. 1-2 is traditionally celebrated in Mexican culture and coincides with the Christian observations of All Saints’ Day, honoring the Saints of the Church, and All Souls’ Day, a day of prayer and remembering the departed.

UIW commemorates Día de los Muertos with ofrendas of altarcitos, or “little altars.” The ofrendas are created to help us remember, learn about and celebrate the lives of loved ones.

The University’s main ofrenda, arranged by the UIW Office of Mission and Ministry, is located in the Administration Building, near Our Lady’s Chapel. It is decorated with symbols and signs of the season, sugar skulls (as a reminder of the sweetness of life), and most importantly, with pictures of those whom members of the community wish to remember and celebrate.

Departments around campus were invited to set up their own ofrendas in memory of loved ones who have departed.