By Aleksandra Sidorova
The Warren Ballrooms filled with music, marigolds and memories at the Día de los Muertos celebration on Nov. 1, hosted by Fuerza: The BIPOC Student Union.
Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead in English, is a holiday celebrating the connection between life and death and remembering late friends and family. It is mainly celebrated in Mexico and Mexican diasporic communities worldwide, but countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala and Peru have similar celebrations as well.
Twins Omar and Oscar Saldivar both made the trip from Brooklyn, New York, to attend. They both graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh last year with degrees in marketing.
“It was a trip to be remembered for decades,” Omar Saldivar said.
The Saldivars identify as Mexican, but this year was their first time celebrating Día de los Muertos.
“At home, we never took the time to do it because my family’s always doing something, or my parents always working,” Oscar Saldivar said.
Observing the holiday at Plattsburgh is special to the brothers.
“It’s like getting in touch with my roots — my culture — and appreciating it,” Omar Saldivar said. “And hopefully, in the future, I’ll be doing this with my kids, and hopefully, they’ll be doing it with me when I pass. I don’t want to be forgotten, you know?”
Omar and Oscar Saldivar brought a photo of their Abuelito Goyo. who died about four years ago. The brothers are about 5 years old, standing next to their grandfather. Oscar blinked — making the only difference between the twins.
Oscar Saldivar described his grandfather as a hardworking farmer.
“He was very much a hands-on type of person, very similar to my dad,” Oscar Saldivar said.
Ivonne Diaz, who graduated in May with a degree in both TV and video production and broadcast journalism, is Colombian and Puerto Rican. Neither culture celebrates Día de los Muertos, but Diaz took the opportunity to cherish the memory of her grandparents, both of whom had died within the past two years.
Diaz also brought a photo of a parrot belonging to her grandmother, named OG, who died a week before. She said an occasion such as Día de los Muertos allows her to reflect on her feelings and process her grief.
“If you don’t want to say it or talk about it, it’s nice to just write about it and visually see it,” Diaz said.
She made the trip to Plattsburgh together with the Saldivars.
“It means a lot being back with my Fuerza family and just seeing everybody again,” Diaz said.
Día de los Muertos is sometimes misunderstood. To the Saldivars, the occasion is a joyful one.
“Occasionally, I hear a comparison to Satanic rituals or a negative connotation to it, but it has nothing to do with that,” Oscar Saldivar said. “It’s just celebrating the memories and the life that you shared with somebody, and just making sure that they’re not forgotten.”
