Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is one of if not the most significant Hispanic holidays of the year, and La Casa at Indiana University put on quite the show for 2024.
Day of the Dead is celebrated every year on November 1st and 2nd, falling in line with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day. Traditionally on Day of the Dead, families will set up special altars, called ofrendas, at either their homes or at the graves of those they have lost. These ofrendas will typically have pictures of those who have departed along with flowers, candles, and food in order to get the souls of the departed to visit. It is said that those souls live on for as long as they are remembered.
This is the full, un-cut interview of Sebastian Brena Ochoa. He details how he got to La Casa and what he does there.
La Casa placed ofrendas at each of the four cultural centers in the area. Those being La Casa itself, the First Nations Center, Canterbury House, and the LGBTQ+ Center. All four houses had all sorts of events and all of it was coordinated by Sebastian Brena Ochoa, event coordinator at La Casa IU.
Ochoa has lived in Bloomington for quite some time, going to high school in the city. As part of a scholarship, he had to work at an IU facility. Being passionate about his culture, he made the decision to work at La Casa IU to fulfill his scholarship and his passion.
Ochoa spent countless hours putting everything together at each of the four cultural centers. Each center had a wide variety of events, all very popular. This included everything from crafts, to food, to face painting. Face painting alone was in two of the four buildings and each line was over half an hour long.
A performance by Baile Folklorico and the Mariachi band
Ochoa’s greatest feat of the night came as the sun went down. At dusk, Ochoa coordinated a special performance by a live Mariachi band along with a performance by Indiana University’s Baile Folklórico. Ochoa spent most of the night bouncing between the four centers while also staying in constant communication with the band and the dancers, who could be seen putting on face paint throughout the night.
There was also a wide variety of foods from soups to candy, but the most popular food at the event without any shadow of a doubt was the pan de muertos which quite literally translates to “bread of the dead”. Whether people were eating it as an annual tradition or trying it for the first time, it seemed that most if not everyone enjoyed it.
The Dia de Los Muertos celebration is the largest celebration that La Casa hosts every year, and this year was no different. Hispanic and non-Hispanic students and staff alike showed up and showed out for the Day of the Dead. It is safe to say that the celebration could not have been possible without the efforts of Ochoa and countless other volunteers working with him to provide people with an excellent night. La Casa is already planning for next year, and they hope it will be even better.
