Different cultures play an integral role in making up the fabric of society and out school. Traditions and celebrations of unique groups are rooted in history, but these important aspects of people’s lives often go unshared with others. With diversity comes the opportunity to develop broader world views, an idea that can be realized through shared celebration and collaboration. 

Day of the Dead, known as Dia de los Muertos in Spanish, is a distinctive Mexican holiday characterized by celebrations and remembrance of loved ones who have passed away. The holiday is traditionally celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. in central and southern Mexico, but this year it is making its way to the hallways of BV West from Nov. 1 to Nov. 2. 

“I have had this idea since I got here of putting something together on Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, because for us it is something very special in Hispanic culture in Mexico, Central America and South America,” Spanish teacher Juan Patiño said. “We’re going to present art, English, literature and history backgrounds. It is going to be a fun day where students will have a chance to visit the art department and check it out.”

Patiño was inspired to bring Day of the Dead to BV West in part because of his personal experiences celebrating the holiday in Mexico. He grew up there and yearly took part in the tradition with his family before immigrating to the U.S. 22 years ago. Although he has not celebrated in Mexico since, the memories he made are ones of remembrance and joy that speak to the meaningful purpose of the holiday.

“Even though you think of cemeteries as being sad, actually [there is] happiness,” Patiño said. “There are mariachi bands playing, people listen to music and people are bringing food and eating. It’s a lot like going to a picnic. You just talk about the old times. I remember that being neat, and something I’m not going to experience in the U.S.”

Although Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico are unique to the country and its culture, Patiño has worked to replicate the holiday so that students and staff are able to experience the traditions and meaning behind it. With a desire to include many different disciplines and make the celebration a memorable learning experience, the event has grown to include contributions from the art, English, Spanish and Special Education departments that will be on display in the art hallway for two days.

“At the end of last year Señor Patiño told me he had an idea for a project with cross-collaboration and I go, ‘I’m in,’’ art teacher Debra Waldorf said. “He started having this conversation with me about making an actual altar and having it be a school-wide learning thing for students… [since then] we have been collaborating and working.”

The original idea for collaboration sparked an interest from multiple departments. Classes participated in the celebration preparations in a variety of ways. Art students completed multimedia projects, paintings, collages and other forms of artwork; English students wrote original sonnets related to death; and Spanish students researched the history of the holiday. The cross-collaboration among different departments provided ample opportunities for students to learn about a culture and apply their findings to a class project.

“I hope [my students will] get exposure to a culture that they may not be familiar with,” English teacher Paige Waldorf said. “I’m hoping  this is something they’ll enjoy and [that] we can celebrate each other. Also, death is a very common motif in all of literature. Hemingway says ‘every great book ends in death.’ This [project] fits in with that well.”

One of Patiño’s goals in bringing Day of the Dead to BV West was to raise awareness of the holiday and prompt educational opportunities for students who may not know much about the purpose of the celebration. Both Patiño and Debra Waldorf stress the importance of learning about the distinctive cultural aspects of Day of the Dead, but also see a common tie to a traditionally celebrated holiday in the U.S.

“I sort of relate it to Memorial Day,” Debra Waldorf said. “What we do is we commemorate our lost soldiers in all of the past conflicts and it’s a big deal. We decorate graves, we have 21-gun salutes and some rituals that go along with all that and Day of the Dead is the same. It’s a happy remembrance, it’s a celebration of [and] it’s a thank you to being on this earth with me.”

The idea of Day of the Dead being a joyful celebration is a foreign concept to many, who often associate the thought of skeletons and death with ideas of Halloween and darkness. Researching Day of the Dead in preparation for the event allowed students to learn more about the culture and reshape their perceptions of what the holiday stands for.

“I certainly think that the more you learn about other cultures, the more whole of a person you are,” Debra Waldorf said. “We’re only part of the puzzle. The more you insert those other puzzle pieces into your life, you think you’re all finished but you really aren’t. There are other places to put those pieces of learning.”

Those involved in the project hope the celebration will spark a deeper understanding of cultures and traditions. Many students have already become more educated about Day of the Dead and have taken away new outlooks from their research. 

“[Day of the Dead is] actually a lot more happy than I originally thought it was, so it’s really cool,” senior and art student Nathan Kolman said.

By working together to achieve a common goal and bring awareness to Day of the Dead, students and staff alike have banded together and worked diligently to prepare for BV West’s adaptation of the holiday. Nov. 1-2 will allow for a unique experience where students can see the traditions of another culture in action and learn more about the world around them. The event was made possible by the collaboration of different individuals committed to helping shed light on a unique celebration.

“It’s good to see other departments getting involved and being excited about a celebration that involves a different culture,” said Patiño. “When I asked, I was overwhelmed and humbled about the support and people who joined. I think it’s going to go well, because when you collaborate with other amazing teachers, that’s going to happen.”