By BEN O’CONNOR

On Saturday, October 28, Latinx Voices held a Dia de los Muertos event celebrating Latinx culture in collaboration with ResLife. For those unfamiliar with Dia de los Muertos, it is an event celebrated in Latinx culture, mainly in Mexican culture, as a way to remember and honor loved ones who have passed. In English, it translates to “day of the dead”, and is usually celebrated on November 1st or 2nd. The event was held in the Science Center Atrium, which was thematically decorated with orange, yellow, and black balloons, and colored streamers hanging from above. Near the back entrance of the atrium sat an ofrenda, which is an altar set up to honor loved ones. Generally, those celebrating the holiday would put pictures of their passed loved ones on the ofrenda, which would also be decorated with things like marigold petals–whose bright colors and scent lead the dead to the ofrenda–and offerings of food, and candles (to welcome the dead back to the ofrenda).

During the event, which lasted from 5pm to 8pm, there were many prepared festivities representing the holiday and highlighting hispanic culture. There was a selection of delicious food, including tamales, conchas, and pan de muerto (bread of the dead). After everyone had gotten their food, an introduction was made for a Beloit-based dance company, the Beloit Even Start Dancers. The company performed dances for 15 songs, with performances ranging from pairs to solo dances to entire groups. Prior to each song, two of the organizers of the event, Aliza Ayala‘24 and Jaden Delarosa‘25 of LV, introduced each song that would be performed. There was a dance where a boy in skeleton makeup vied for the attention of a girl in a beautiful dress, with his efforts eventually ending in shattering a pot she was holding and an eventual makeup after an offering of flowers. There was also a performance of La Iguana, which included the same boy dancing by throwing himself to the ground in front of the girl. There were a few solo dances to songs like Rebozo de Santa Maria. Group dances were performed by younger girls, who danced to songs like La Raspa and Las Perlitas. At the end of the performance, the entire company came together to dance along to La Culebra. Many of the costumes highlighted Latinx and Mexican culture, and the dances were baile folklórico, or folkloric dance.

After the wonderful performance, Ayala introduced the mariachi group Mariachi de Corcel de Madison, whose performance sparked dancing among the attendees, yours truly included. Eventually, a large dance circle formed, with everyone dancing together and occasionally encouraging whoever was dancing in the middle.

Putting together such an important event is no easy feat. Latinx Voices President, Aliza Ayala‘24, shared that “it’s always nerve wracking with cultural events… a lot of the Latin students are on here, also a lot of our allies, and we want to make sure that we’re being inclusive.” This feeling is understandable, as the various perspectives of diverse culture on campus and in the community can make it difficult to create a space for an event that is both inviting and educational. Aliza went on to thank Daksha Howard and Randi Mogul from ResLife, who helped to share suggestions of past celebrations of Dia de los Muertos.

The event was attended not only by Beloit College students, but also by Beloit locals who had seen the details for the event on posters downtown. Ayala shared that “[Latinx Voices] really wanted to incorporate the community of Beloit, because there is such a huge latin population, specifically Mexican, and [I feel] like there’s a disconnect between Beloit College club events [that are] identity-based, versus the community.” Even though there was a worry of a disconnect between the college and the surrounding community, the turnout was equal parts locals and students.

Overall, the event was an enjoyable success. The celebration of culture was important for people at the event. One attendee, Jessica Galvez‘26, shared that “personally, it’s just a little piece of home here, even though [my home is] like an hour and a half away, [it’s still] nice to have my culture here and see it…it’s just so nice to feel a part of something.” When asked about whether the event was a success or not, she went on to say, “I think it went really well…I just love[d] it.”

I would like to acknowledge that I am reporting on this event as a white individual. This is not my culture, but one I am grateful to be invited to celebrate.