5 Ways To Celebrate & Learn About Día de los Muertos

Whitman students, staff and faculty will have the opportunity to gain a global perspective on a traditional Latinx holiday on Friday.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is commonly observed each year on Nov. 1 and 2 to honor loved ones who have passed away. Well-known traditions include creating ofrendas, which feature the favorite foods and beverages of the deceased as well as photos and mementos from their life.

Centering Indigenous Perspectives

This year, Whitties can get a global view of the holiday by attending the Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased) event on Friday, Nov. 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Lyman House kitchen. Sponsored by the Center for Global Studies, the event will highlight the customs of the Indigenous people of Ecuador.

“The Indigenous Kichwa Otavalo communities celebrate the holiday differently than both mestizo communities in Ecuador and Mexican communities, whose celebrations might be more familiar to Whitman students,” says Whitman alum Anna Taft ’02, who is organizing the event.

Taft is the founder of the Tandana Foundation, a nonprofit that supports community initiatives in Ecuador and Mali. She and two colleagues—Margarita Fuerza and Segundo Moreta—will be making the trip to campus to share their knowledge and experience.

Fuerza and Moreta are O’Donnell Visiting Educators who will discuss the concept of life and death in Spanish. Their presentation will simultaneously be translated into English.

“Attendees can expect to learn what the Kichwa Otavalo community of Ecuador do on Día de los Difuntos and how the observance of this ritual fits into Indigenous Andean cosmology,” says Taft.

Participants will have the opportunity to sample traditional Indigenous foods, including colada morada and guaguas—a purple drink and handmade sweet bread. Eating both Ecuadorian foods symbolizes a collective mourning and wishes the departed a happy journey to the afterlife.

4 More Ways To Celebrate

The Whitman community is also encouraged to attend the campuswide Día de los Muertos Celebration hosted by the Intercultural Center and the Hispanic Studies Department. It will take place Friday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. in the Young Ballroom in the Reid Campus Center. Festivities include digital games, a poetry exhibition, crafts, a performance, and pan de muerto and hot chocolate. 

A campus ofrenda is on display in the Reid Campus Center lobby, built by the Unidos affinity club and the Hispanic Studies Department. Whitman community members of all ethnicities are invited to share photos and tokens to remember their loved ones.

On Sunday, Nov. 3, there will be a Día de los Muertos parade through downtown Walla Walla. In 2023, Whitman students were involved in bringing this cultural tradition to the Walla Walla Valley. This year the parade will start at 3 p.m. and will head west on Main Street from Tukanon Street to Second Avenue. A community festival will follow at Heritage Square Park.

Fort Walla Walla Museum is also showcasing the “Day of the Dead: No Me Olvides” exhibit through Friday, Nov. 7, featuring family altars and art made by local artists.