Fresno State’s Cross-Cultural and Gender Center (CCGC) is showcasing its annual Día de los Muertos ofrenda, or Day of the Dead altar in English, this month. The purpose of the celebration is to honor and remember family members who have died.
To commemorate their deceased loved ones, families set up ofrendas displaying their photos on tables adorned with orange marigold flowers, colorful table covers, sugar skulls, candles and the deceased’s favorite foods.
The ofrendas are traditionally meant to temporarily invite the deceased’s souls into the land of the living and create a place of communion for them and their families. Though Day of the Dead is typically celebrated on Nov. 1-2, the CCGC has its ofrenda up all week.
Cynthia Villalobos, the Latine programs and services coordinator, spent over six hours setting up the ofrenda, which displays over 25 photos of deceased family members and pets submitted by students and staff.
Villalobos said she admires that the campus community has been comfortable enough to participate in the project every year.
“I absolutely love that students and staff on campus feel confident enough to share a photo of their loved ones with me; I was tearing up printing them out,” Villalobos said. “This is just one of my favorite holidays because it makes grief a little easier.”
By celebrating Day of the Dead and setting up an ofrenda on campus, she hopes to help further educate the campus community about Latine culture and its traditions.
When visiting, students can find brochures with more information about the holiday and instructions on how students can set up altars on their own.
In addition, she hopes this provides a safe space for all students to celebrate the holiday.
“It’s just accessible for those who live in the dorms, don’t have a lot of space or live off campus where they may not feel comfortable to partake in these holidays,” Villalobos said. “We like to host it for those students who are in those types of environments.”
Andrea Chaidez, a studio art major, stopped by to see the ofrenda after seeing a post about it on social media.
Though she missed the deadline to submit photos, Chaidez wanted to include a photo of her grandparents as a reminder of the sacrifices they made when immigrating from Mexico to give their family a better life.
Still, she said it was exciting to see the CCGC provide this kind of experience for students.
“It was really exciting to see how inclusive the space is and see the holiday being celebrated, especially as a Mexican-American myself,” Chaidez said. “You kind of don’t see that a lot in academic spaces, so it felt nice to be seen and have our loved ones be shared with other people.”
She believes the CCGC’s ofrenda livens up the room, and its bright colors make it feel like the community is celebrating the deceased’s lives rather than mourning them.
The last days to visit the ofrenda are Oct. 30-31 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Frank W. Thomas Building, Room 111.
Villalobos encourages students to visit and follow the CCGC on Instagram as it houses various programs and hosts events for students of all backgrounds, from Latine, LGBTQ+ and more.
