Cardinal Points

Issue date: 11/3/06 Section: Life

Media Credit: Shumpei Kishi Stephanie Ruiz, left, Darislyna Villar and Tiffany Carrasco host the Day of the Dead workshop.

Santa Claus is associated with Christmas, a dreidel is associated with Hanukkah and eggs are associated with Easter.

Skulls and skeletons, on the other hand, can be associated with two holidays: Halloween, celebrated in the United States, and the Day of the Dead, celebrated primarily in Mexico.

On Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m., the Plattsburgh State University College's Latin American Association, El Pueblo, hosted a Day of the Dead workshop.

The workshop, which was held in the Angell College Center Cardinal Lounge, was led by two PSUC students, Darislyna Villar and Tiffany Carrasco.

Villar, PSUC sophomore and El Pueblo secretary, and Carrasco, a senior member of El Pueblo, discussed with students the traditions and culture of the Day of the Dead.

According to Carrasco, the Day of the Dead began as an Aztec tradition in Mexico. Today, the tradition is still practiced, but has been largely reformed by Catholicism and modern culture.

The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos as they say in Spanish, seems similar to Halloween at first. It is, however, very different in culture and in practice.

According to Villar, the United States emphasizes Halloween to create a sense of fear among people. The Day of the Dead, however, is centralized around the idea that death should be celebrated and embraced.

"To us the Day of the Dead and Halloween are nothing," Villar said. "All we do is dress up. To them it is a huge celebration of their culture and history."

Villar said the Day of the Dead is celebrated on both Nov. 1, All Saints' Day, and Nov. 2, All Souls' Day. During these two days, people participate in many activities that commemorate death.

Many families have candlelit picnics in cemeteries. At the picnic, foods that are considered symbolic of deceased relatives are served to guests.

Altars are established within homes to provide the deceased with weapons, candy, bread and other essential items that can be utilized during the journey to the afterlife.

The altars are also decorated with colorful skulls made of sugar, red devils, skeletons and candles.

According to Carrasco, another tradition that is practiced during the Day of the Dead is the funeral reenactment.

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