The Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos is celebrated on November 2. Duquesne's 2018 Day of the Dead Altar will be on display from October 29 through November 12 at Gumberg Library. It is sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Gumberg Library, and Spiritan Campus Ministry.
This year's altar honors:
Anthony Bourdain, world traveler & culinary expert / viajero y experto culinario
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul / la reina de la música soul
Mac Miller, Pittsburgh rapper / rapero de Pittsburgh
The Day of the Dead is an important celebration not only in Mexico but also in other parts of South America. Indigenous Pre-Columbian societies celebrated the dead before the arrival of the Spanish. After their arrival, the celebration was aligned with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2) creating a phenomenon which in anthropology is called religious syncretism. Every region or town celebrating the Day of the Dead does so in their own unique way. In recent times, due to the significant Spanish population in the United Sates, it also has become one of the most popular festivities for Hispanic and non-Hispanic communities in some states.
