Last semester, I was able to attend part of the Day of the Dead celebration put on by OU students. There were various events throughout the week and I was able to be there for one of the days. Since I had not attended in the past, I didn’t really know what to expect. I asked around and none of my close friends had attended the celebrations before so for the most part I was going in blind.
There were large numbers of Latinx students running the event and they seemed to be having a great time. I wasn’t too familiar with the culture behind the event so I did some reading on my phone on my way there. I learned that is was predominantly celebrated in Mexico but other countries like Brazil celebrated it too. The holiday is traditionally held just after Halloween until November 2 and draws large crowds (which have gotten quite excited in the past).
The OU celebration was more subdued. I spent an hour or so going from booth to booth learning about ways the holiday was celebrated. There was a station for designing your own day of the dead mask but the line was long so I chose not do. If I go again, I will definitely try to do this. Perhaps I may even bring along some of my friends.