Harvard Affiliates Celebrate Day of the Dead with Ofrenda, Soiree

Widener Library’s West Stacks Reading Room, which ordinarily sees students quietly studying, instead housed an ofrenda with photos of students’ loved ones as affiliates celebrated Día de los Muertos on Wednesday.

Día de los Muertos – otherwise known as “Day of the Dead” – is a traditional Mexican holiday meant to celebrate family members and friends who have died. Wednesday’s celebration was one of many events across campus hosted by various Latino affinity groups at Harvard.

The event — presented by the Harvard Library Latinx Affinity Group and the Harvard Library Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Antiracism Team — featured an ofrenda, an altar decorated by photos of loved ones.

Nicole Chavez ’26 said that growing up, her mother would make an ofrenda every year in November.

“I brought a photo of my grandparents that I printed out, and I texted my mom before this, and she was so excited about it,” Chavez, a Crimson Business editor, said. “I think that’s why I came here, to kind of keep the tradition going.”

Veronica C. Ruiz ’26 is on the board of Fuerza Latina – one of the participating organizations – and helped set up the altar, as well as read a poem during the event.

Ruiz said the poem was about the “bittersweetness of the holiday.”

“It’s really beautiful, very loud, very festive,” Ruiz said, referring to the holiday. “But underneath it all, there’s the honoring the memories of people who have passed on, and just the grief that comes along with that.”

Chief Diversity Officer for Harvard Library Jerome Offord said the event is meant to celebrate inclusivity, as well as offer an opportunity for education.

Offord said many cultures have ways to “reflect on the past and honor those that were lost,” and that the event is meant to hold space for students to “be able to celebrate away from their families and away from home.”

On Friday evening, students gathered at Queen’s Head Pub for a soirée hosted by Harvard-Radcliffe RAZA.

The event featured performances by student groups Mariachi Veritas – performing traditional Mexican music – and Harvard RAZA Folklorico, as well as a student poetry reading.

Jacqueline E. Pena Gomez ’28 said that she grew up being very involved in the holiday and that she always looks for opportunities to stay connected with her culture on campus.

“I knew this was a perfect event for me to stay connected with the Day of the Dead and the value that it plays in our culture,” she said. “I can’t participate at home, but at least there’s a piece of it at home here.”

Harvard RAZA Folklorico President Mia N. Rodriguez ’25 organized a traditional dance performance at the event.

“These are dances that are well over a hundred, two hundred years old, so to be able to show them at Harvard today is really phenomenal,” Rodriguez said.

RAZA President Anapaula Barba ’25 said that the event was originally meant to be a gala but that the organization struggled to attain funding. She said, however, she was pleased with the final outcome of decorations, food, music, and performances.

Paula said that Día de los Muertos is an opportunity to pay respects to her loved ones and honor “the fact that if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Primo S. Lagaso Goldberg ’25 said that Wednesday’s event honored the lives of his dead loved ones, rather than mourning the loss of life.

“One of the beautiful things about Día de los Muertos is that it’s about celebrating the lives that were lived,” Lagaso Goldberg said. “About reminding everyone that they’re still here with us.”

—Staff writer Katie B. Tian can be reached at katie.tian@thecrimson.com.