Chabot College began celebrating Dia de los Muertos on Wednesday, October 17 at noon by placing altars around campus which were available for students to view until Thursday, November 1 at 6 in the afternoon.

These altars were placed in the building 700 lobby, El Centro, building 100 first floor, the library, and the building 400 lobby.

Each of the altars featured different things. The altar in the 400 building lobby was dedicated to Mexican singer Selena Quintanilla. Known by many as simply Selena, she was admired by many people, her music was mostly “cumbias” which is dance music in Spanish, but she also sang some love songs in English. She passed away on March 31, 1995, when she was just 23 years old.

The altar in the 700 building was a traditional Dia de los Muertos altar, with several pictures of different people that have passed away with an image of the Virgin Mary behind them as a traditional altar.

Finally, the altar found in the library was an altar based on the history of Dia de los Muertos.

Officially Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on October 31 and ends on November 2. It’s a day where people honor their loved ones who have passed away. Chabot ended the Dia de los Muertos festivities with a celebration they hold every year on Thursday, November 1, 2018, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Event Center.

During this celebration, students had the opportunity to learn the history of Dia de los Muertos as usual. Students also got a chance to participate in a variety of activities like Loteria which is basically like Mexican bingo, face painting, candle making, flower making, and much more. Students were also able to learn about the resources provided at El Centro and on campus.

The organization responsible for the altars and the celebration was the Hispanic-Serving Institution.