A joyful air encompassed students as they walked from the Memorial Student Center with candles in hand to the Johnson-Phillips All Faiths Chapel for a ceremony celebrating El Dia de los Muertos, Thursday, Nov. 1.
Hosted by the Epsilon Gamma chapter of Sigma Lambda Beta, the event came at the close of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Founded on April 4, 1986 at the University of Iowa, Sigma Lambda Beta is the largest historically Latino Greek letter intercollegiate fraternity.
The organization was recognized at Prairie View A&M University in 1986 but was discontinued.
The fraternity was revived in 1991 and has been a part of the university’s culture ever since.
El Dia de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead, is a holiday that the organization celebrates annually.
This holiday falls on Nov. 1 (All Saints Day) and Nov. 2 (All Souls Day), and is mainly celebrated in Mexico and within Mexican communities in the United States.
Eric Jimenez, a member of Sigma Lambda Beta, opened the ceremony up with a brief history of the holiday.
“Dia de los Muertos is a Latin American holiday that celebrates the life of individuals who have passed away,” said Jiminez.
Though this holiday may be seen as dark and gruesome to other cultures, participants in the Day of the Dead approach it cheerfully.
This celebration has an optimistic mood that demonstrates the importance of rejoicing and honoring the lives of the deceased.
Traditions differ by regions. In some places participants wear masks, face paint and sometimes dance.
In other regions flowers are placed on the graves of the dead and altars are decorated.
Gumaro Guajardo, president of Sigma Lambda Beta, described how food is often brought to the burial ground of the dead.
This is symbolic of the souls returning.
Guadajardo talked about the significance of the event to the organizaiton.
“Dia de los Muertos is an annual event that Sigma Lambda Beta embraces,”said Guadajardo.
Victor Taylor II, president of the Catholic Newman Association, gave more information about the holiday and explained the manner that Catholics use to approach the holiday.
The ceremony ended with students stating the name of a deceased loved one. Then participants joined together for refreshments.