Dia De Los Muertos Ceremonia

Dia de los Muertos is a collaborative effort here at UCSC by various on and off-campus groups organized through El Centro. It is a series of events designed to bring the community together, educate, and present an opportunity to take part in a cultural tradition.

El Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead is a celebration that captures the idea of unity between life and death. It is a synthesis of the indigenous Mesoamerican and the Spanish conquistador traditions. El Dia de los Muertos continues to be celebrated as a means of remembering loved ones and as a way of establishing a sense of personal history with traditional ways. Throughout the holiday there are processions of sugar calaveras (skulls), papel picado (cut paper), Pan de Muertos, zempazuchitl (marigolds), and celosia or cresta del gallo (rooster comb).

Here at UCSC, all aspects of this cultural tradition are incorporated into a series of events that portray the cultural significance of this tradition through the creation of Dia arts and crafts such as sugar skulls or papel picado. This all culminates to our annual Dia de los Muertos Ceremony where an evening long event with food, music, spoken word, and the creation of an altar give community members an opportunity to take part and celebrate the lives of those who have passed on.