The event gave students the opportunity to learn about the Día de Los Muertos culture, enjoy authentic Mexican food, get their faces painted, watch performances and receive a free t-shirt.

“We wanted to show the university what Día de Los Muertos is all about,” CRU President and computer science senior Ricardo Paz said. “I feel like the university really hasn’t done much to promote Latinx heritage or culture, and that was very obvious during Hispanic Heritage Month, right? This is just one of our efforts to promote our culture to the university and just share what we love to do.”

Día de Los Muertos, or Day of The Dead, is a holiday traditionally celebrated on Nov. 2. The celebration originated in Mexico but later expanded throughout Latin America. It’s meant for families to honor and remember their loved ones, and it is a time of joy rather than mourning. 

The second floor Union ballroom was decorated with traditional decorations associated with the holiday — Calaveras, or decorated skulls, and marigolds, flowers thought to help souls find their way. 

The ballroom also featured a basic altar to show the tradition of creating an altar with pictures of loved ones that have passed away. These altars often include meaningful things from their lives and their favorite foods and drinks. 

For food, they offered gorditas, sweet bread, Mexican hot chocolate, regular hot chocolate and coffee.

“The food is amazing, the decorations are so cute and it is just a great way to celebrate,” pre-law freshman Jubilee Dyer said.

Human development and family studies junior Kiara Lee Zarate performed “Cien Años.”

“I haven’t really done too much event-wise at MSU so far,” actuarial science sophomore Jordan Newton said. “This is my first year on campus, actually. I did see the email, and, I’m like, ‘This looks really fun to go to.’ It’s a mix between culture and food and I thought it’d be really fun. (My favorite part is) definitely the food and the entire atmosphere so far. It’s perfectly put together.”