This year, the Mount Carmel Spanish Club, La Caravana, and the soccer team hosted the celebration of “El Dia de los Muertos,”  or the “Day of the Dead.”   The two day celebration afforded students and faculty an opportunity to remember departed family and friends.

On November 1,  the school community gathered for mass on the Feast of All Saints.   In the Hispanic culture, this day also is known as “Dia de los Angelitos,” or “the day of the little angels,” and celebrates all children who lost their lives.  Following Mass, an altar was set up in the Commons where pictures of loved ones were placed next to traditional colored skulls.

The Day of the Dead celebration continued on November 2, which in the Catholic liturgical calendar is the Feast of All Souls.  The morning announcements included a prayer remembering the lives of loved ones.

Although, day of the dead was incorporated into the school schedule/cycle, some students failed to notice anything different about this time of the year.

There were occasional questions and comments about the commemoratve altar in the Commons, but few seemed to understand that the skulls decorated in studium were part of the celebration.

Although the event was given prominence over the traditional MC celebration of Halloween, Spanish III student and La Caravana member Ricky Ramos ’18 felt that the celebration wasn’t given as much attention as he expected. “For the past two weeks, all we did in Spanish was related to El Dia de los Muertos. And then when it rolled around, we didn’t do anything special.”

Sophomore Owen Madrigal tended to agree. “I didn’t really notice anything different about these days. No one even mentioned it besides barely hearing it over the intercom.”

On the other hand, Mr. Antonio Mota, moderator for La Caravana and teacher of Spanish III, was fairly pleased with how the celebration went.

“Since I’ve been here, it was the biggest showing for Day of the Dead.” Still,  while Mota had hoped for more involvement, he believes that this year’s effort is only a start for better things to come.

Dia de los Muertos is not a mourning holiday, but quite the opposite. This holiday celebrates the lives that are remembered, and those whom they have touched, and it inspires everyone to live life to the fullest.