In the Spanish classroom, there is often a disconnect between the language being learned and the array of cultures that it represents. In an effort to combat this issue, the Berkeley High School Spanish Department came together to organize a celebration of one of Mexico’s most beloved holidays – Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). On November 1 and 2, the community theater gallery transformed from a drab hallway into a lively room, decorated with colorful flags, flowers, and altars to commemorate the Mexican celebration of life and death.
“I want to share part of the Latino culture with the whole school,” said Spanish Teacher Denise Fullerton. “I want them to understand another perspective of death, because in Mexico it’s a very happy celebration instead of a somber, sad moment,” she added.
The goal of the community celebration on Día de los Muertos was to introduce the whole school to the beauty behind a tradition that so sharply contrasts that of America.
“I think it’s super important to understand and experience other cultures,” said Natalie Wright, a Berkeley International High School (BIHS) senior. “Without that, we become numb to our own sameness. I think culture exposure is the best education,” she said.
Some students, like Leandro Gonzalez, led the creation of the larger altars, which were set back in the gallery’s alcoves. Gonzalez’s altar paid special tribute to the former BHS students who passed away over the summer.
“Día de los Muertos celebrates remembering people from the past, and remembering people you love,” said Gonzalez. “Since we’re doing the altar in school we decided to show students,” he said. Candles are meant to represent the souls of both the people being remembered and the forgotten souls. Flickering lights on the altars, and marigold flowers — both paper and real — brightened the altars in the spirit of leading the souls towards the celebration. Oferendas, meaning offerings, like Pan de los Muertos (bread of the dead) and fruits were also scattered on the tables.
“[Students] made sugar skulls and paper flowers,” said Fullerton. “They made art that copies the style of Jose Guadalupe Posada who was a Mexican artist who made famous the kind of art using skeletons. They made this papel picado – the cut paper – and then they brought all of the things for the ofrendas.”
Spanish students were the foundation of the event’s success. They contributed a wide variety of items to fully incorporate the vital aspects of the tradition, in addition to posters that gave explanations of these traditions and the items that were present.
“I made three posters: one on water, air, and earth. These are all offerings during the day of the dead,” said Wright. This concept was reflected onto the altars: fruits represented earth, the colorful paper cuttings represent wind, and water was placed in bowls for the spirits to drink.
In addition to the large altars, small shoebox altars paid tribute to famous Mexican people. Additionally, although not posted on the walls, students of Tosca Necoechea learned about the tradition of using poetry to talk with the dead.
“In our poems we’re talking about a chiste – a joke about the day of the dead,” said BHS senior Ke-yani Chapman. “We talk about the dead being face to face with the living and how they’re interchangeable. It’s like the dead are telling jokes to the living,” she said.
While the size of every individual’s contribution varied greatly, there was a universal agreement of the impact the commemoration had on them.
“A lot of people don’t know about day of the dead,” said Chapman. “In America we experience death with sadness and wearing all black. Day of the Dead is about who [people] are and what they have contributed. It’s about lifting up what they’ve done and celebrating them,” she added.
There is an overwhelming feeling of pride and satisfaction among the people who helped piece together the event. “I think [people liked] the whole setup of Día de los Muertos even though they’re not part of the actual culture. Just seeing it and embracing it is a good thing because they see our tradition compared to theirs – the things that was do are very different from other people and other cultures,” said Gonzalez.