Shenandoah University’s Día de los Muertos celebration will take place for the first time on campus. Live singers and instrumentalists; dancers from Oaxaca, Mexico; complementary champurrado and pan de muertos; and an ofrenda are all part of this year’s event, which will be presented in both English and Spanish. The celebration takes place on Nov. 1 from 7–8:30p.m. at McKown Plaza, which overlooks the Intramural Field.
Día de los Muertos is an annual celebration originating in Mexico which fuses together indigenous and Catholic traditions. It celebrates people, animals, and cultural icons that have died, but it isn’t a somber approach to mourning; on the contrary, Día de los Muertos is a joyful celebration of life. Through vibrant colors, delicious food, and beautiful music, the event emphasizes all of the elements that make life so special.
Assistant Professor of Art and Design Abigail Gómez, M.F.A., who is coordinating the Día de los Muertos event, said she believes it serves as a way for learners to experience cultural practices different from their own. The holiday “helps expand their worldview and can help anchor their understanding of themselves.” Students will have the chance to compare and contrast their own traditions to those presented at Día de los Muertos.
For those interested in learning more about Día de los Muertos, there will be opportunities on campus to prepare for the celebration. Gómez’s First-Year Seminar class, “The Power of Public Art,” is creating paper flowers to decorate the plaza and ofrenda. In the weeks leading up to Nov. 1, her students will have a table set up in Brandt Student Center where they will teach other members of the Shenandoah community how to create flowers themselves.
Additional help is needed to set up the event venue. Students interested in receiving Beyond the Classroom credit can help with decorating McKown Plaza on the evening of Oct. 31, and all day on Nov. 1. Students who attend Dia de los Muertos itself are eligible to receive extra Beyond the Classroom credit.
Gómez said she is excited to share this public art event with the community, noting that the 2024 celebration of Día de los Muertos “is a team effort, and that’s part of what makes it so beautiful.”
– Written by Natalie Gales ’26
