By Claire McCullough
As October progresses people begin to look forward to Halloween, but the Hispanic holiday of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, also approaches. The holiday is considered by many to be a celebration of the lives of the deceased they held dear. According to dayofthedead.holiday, the Ofrenda, an altar where photos of the dead and offerings are placed, is at the heart of the holiday. McPherson College student, Fabian Camacho is trying to replicate that heart of the holiday at the college by making a college community Ofrenda.
Camacho’s project is funded by the Horizon Grant Fund. The Horizon Grant Fund’s purpose was described by Camacho as “giving students the funds to be able to bring about something campus related or to help them pursue certain interests that can make a better community for the campus.” Students, staff, and faculty are all allowed to leave photos on the Ofrenda. Camacho recommends that anyone who wants to participate bring unframed printed photos. Currently, Camacho is planning on putting the Ofrenda in a public place on campus, hopefully the Campus Commons or Miller Library. The Ofrenda will be up starting in late October and will run till the end of the first two weeks of November.
Due to cleanliness and safety concerns traditional elements of the Ofrenda will be absent such as food and lit candles, that have been substituted for electric candles. However, the Ofrenda will still have traditional decorations. Camacho has been collaborating with his mother and other students with the decoration’s construction. Not including the table, the Ofrenda will be two or three tiers, but Camacho plans for it to be wider than a typical Ofrenda so it can fit as many photos as possible.
Photos on the Ofrenda are not limited to people, pets’ photos are welcomed too. As Camacho states “as long as this entity, this individual, had that kind of meaning to you… if you loved them, any kind of way, then it’s totally acceptable”. Camacho is planning on putting photos of his pets on the Ofrenda.
This Ofrenda will be the first Camacho’s built. In the past, he helped his mother with an Ofrenda. Now Camacho is making his own and his mother, along with other students, is assisting with the decorations, harkening back to holidays value of family. Dead or alive, these people meant something. As Camacho states “we’ve gotten over them (departed loved ones) yes, but that doesn’t make them hurt any less”. Honoring their lives and what they mean is the core of the holiday. The college community Ofrenda seeks to build connections through the losses we all face and hopes to honor the lives of the deceased we hold dearest.
