Student Organization SNPhA Hosts Dia de los Muertos Celebration

The Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) brought the celebration of Dia de los Muertos to the CHSU campus the week of October 29^th.
Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” is a meaningful tradition within the Hispanic culture. The ritual was first developed by the Aztecs 3,000 years ago because they believed one should not grieve the loss of a beloved ancestor who passed, but instead celebrate their lives. It is believed that the gates of heaven are opened every year late on October 31^st, and the spirits of deceased children are welcome to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 1^st, the spirits of departed ancestors are greeted with offerings of special foods and drinks that were prepared for them.
Families create alters in hopes to guide the souls of loved ones by placing items that belonged to them and decorate the alter with items, such as candles and flowers. Each alter is unique but contain essential elements that have a specific purpose, which include, pictures of the deceased, water, salt, candles, marigold flowers, sugar skulls and decorative paper.
SNPhA created a colorful display in the CHSU lobby and encouraged students, faculty, and staff to view the display for themselves and contribute any items to the alter. The altar was set up by P3 students: Parvi Boyal, Madison Fesperman, Vu Nguyen, and Kenya Covarrubias.
“SNPhA wanted to bring this beautiful tradition to our campus to help celebrate diversity and to educate the students about the Hispanic culture,” said Kenya.
On November 1^st, SNPhA invited the CHSU community to enjoy lunch and write their loved one a handwritten note. They then traveled to the park to burn the messages in hopes to keep the memory of their loved ones alive even after their passing.
Thank you to SNPhA for educating the CHSU community about this tradition of the Hispanic culture and for hosting a successful celebration of Dias de los Muertos.