Día de los Muertos celebration: a delightful culmination of love and culture
The Día de los Muertos celebration took place the night of November second at WVHS, and was a spectacular combination of art, culture, and remembrance. This event featured sugar skull decorating, face painting, dancing, food, and art from students across the comunity. This event was planned by the Latino Arts and Culture class, MECHA, and NAHS.
The Latino Arts and Culture class is a new class offered at Wilsonville High School this year, and is taught by Ms. Escobar. The Latino Arts and Culture class was in charge of planning and hosting the Día de los Muertos celebration. Their goal was to create a way for Latino students to celebrate their culture, and they helped accomplish this goal by including the MECHA club in the planning and hosting of the celebration.
Gerardo Flores, a member of the MECHA club and Latino Arts and culture class, said “it’s important because it’s a Mexican tradition that we remember our fellow ones that have passed away. And it’s a way to remember them by putting our favorite food in the ofrenda, and it’s a way of bringing our culture together.”
To make sure that the entire community was included in this event there was art from Meridian middle school, Lowery primary school, and Boeckman Creek primary school, as well as dances performances by students across the district.
The artwork featured at the event was drawings, paintings, and piñatas. The Latino Arts and Culture classes included other members of the community by making piñatas based on the drawing of Lowery primary school first graders.
Evelyn De la Curz Palma, a student who is a member of the MECHA club, said “I got involved because I started to be involved in the mecha club this year and they announced that there was going to be a day of the dead festival and I really wanted to be one of the MC’s because it gave me the opportunity to talk to everyone, and introduce the dances, and represent my culture.”
Throughout the night were multiple performances of traditional Mexican dancing. There were three Folklórico de Colores dances, two Mariachi Viva México dances, and one Folklórico Danza de los Diablos dances at the event. The students dancing go to school across the district and come together after school in order to learn these dances.
This event created a supportive event for students of the community to come together and support each other. Throughout the night people could be seen enjoying and participating in all the activities. This wonderful event highlighted the beauty and importance of the Día de los Muertos celebration in the Wilsonville community.