Throughout Latin America, societies celebrate the lives of those they have lost. Each year, at the end of October, people make traditional altars, favorite foods and decorate sugar skulls, all to honor those departed.

It’s not just the societies in Latin America celebrating the El Día de los Muertos. In fact, each year, La Casa, the Latino Cultural Center at Indiana University, puts on a holiday event for not only the students, but the community in Bloomington.

The Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Latin America, with roots tracing back to Mexico, that honors the lives of ancestors and to retain their memory.

Though the name might make one assume that the holiday has to do with the gruesome, scary parts of death, it should not be associated with such terms.

Traditionally, indigenous Latino people thought of the rite of death to be a start of a new life and this thought has since grown to a happy holiday for remembering relatives.

The holiday dates back to 3,000 years ago, starting back at the time of the Aztecs, before it spread throughout Mexico and the Latino world.

Not only did this traditional holiday survive the passage of time, it merged with Christianity and is often celebrated with All Saints Day and All Souls Day in the United States.

The volunteers and employees at La Casa wanted to show their heritage to the Indiana University and Bloomington community.

“This is just a way to remember our loved ones and, you know, kind of not necessarily bring them back, but just keep them in our memories and let them know that we still think about them,” volunteer Tania Pacheco said.

This year, administrators of the Day of the Dead event expected 250 to 300 students and community members to attend, and the event delivered.

The main event at the Latino Cultural Center housed two altars: one dedicated to those lives lost during Hurricane Maria and the other dedicated to individual departed souls.  Attendees could put pictures and other ofrendas to remember and honor the memory of those lost.

People also had the opportunity to make their own ofrendas at the event, painting sugar skull designs on smooth rocks that could be placed on the altar or taken home for décor.

They were greeted with Latino music before volunteers spoke about the holiday, what it really means and, more importantly, what it means to them. Latino songs, performed by a volunteer, beckoned the audiences’ attention.

Traditional Latino foods enticed visitors into a long line of waiting, moving slowly down the stairs to have bites such as tamales, rice and black beans and sweets.

From this point, attendees had the opportunity to move to other cultural centers hosting their own offshoot of the Day of the Dead event.

Susan Caman, graduate assistant at La Casa, said that attendees should start at La Casa before moving to the LGBTQ+ center where there is an altar honoring the victims of LGBTQ+ violence.

They then have the opportunity to move to the Canterbury House and First Nations to experience other personalized altars and activities.

The Day of the Dead brings together a sense of community for Latinos, and at IU, La Casa shows it can cross borders.