Avenue 209 hosts Day of the Dead
Jeremy Pearson
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: News
Avenue 209 hosted a celebration of the Day of the Dead on October 27th.
The Latin American holiday is very popular in Mexico and Guatemala as the people celebrate the return of their ancestors' spirits by cleaning and decorating their graves. They also construct richly ornamented alters where they place food and other pleasing objects for their visiting ancestors.
The coffee house was so packed that people had trouble finding a place to sit. In the background was the sound of people of different nationalities speaking Spanish and English, and the air was filled with calm Mexican music.
Avenue 209's Day of the Dead was coordinated by Nicole Cozzi. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, Cozzi organizes all of the cultural events hosted each month at Avenue 209.
Cozzi was there to answer questions about the Latin American holiday, as well as serve Mexican food. Dishes served included Spanish rice, nachos and churos with salsa, quesadillas and a special bread called Pan de Muerto.
The food was so tasty that Cozzi could hardly keep up with preparing it before it was all eaten. All food served was free and delicious.
Though eating the food was great, the main attractions were the activities and crafts for all ages. A decorated altar was set up for people to remember a lost loved one. People made flowers out of fall colored paper. Also, a wide variety of colored icing was available to decorate skulls made of sugar, which is a big tradition in Mexico.
Cozzi wanted everyone to not only eat well and participate in the activities, but to learn about the culture surrounding the holiday. She placed posters with word definitions and Spanish translations all around the room. Wherever people turned they read about the tradition. People had a blast socializing with their friends and meeting new people.
"Lock Haven is a beautiful town, but it is a little isolated from things happening around the world," said Spanish professor Dr. Valerio. "It's great that students are taking the initiative to learn about other cultures."
Dr. Valerio and others were given the opportunity to speak of their experiences of the holiday from their home country.
Many people were excited to hear and listened intently to the stories given. Other people not from other Latin American countries were given a great chance to practice speaking Spanish to native speakers.
The event was not just for Lock Haven University. Parents brought their children and they all enjoyed mingling with the students and professors. It was a great way to bring the university and community together to learn about and celebrate The Day of the Dead.
The Latin American holiday is very popular in Mexico and Guatemala as the people celebrate the return of their ancestors' spirits by cleaning and decorating their graves. They also construct richly ornamented alters where they place food and other pleasing objects for their visiting ancestors.
The coffee house was so packed that people had trouble finding a place to sit. In the background was the sound of people of different nationalities speaking Spanish and English, and the air was filled with calm Mexican music.
Avenue 209's Day of the Dead was coordinated by Nicole Cozzi. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, Cozzi organizes all of the cultural events hosted each month at Avenue 209.
Cozzi was there to answer questions about the Latin American holiday, as well as serve Mexican food. Dishes served included Spanish rice, nachos and churos with salsa, quesadillas and a special bread called Pan de Muerto.
The food was so tasty that Cozzi could hardly keep up with preparing it before it was all eaten. All food served was free and delicious.
Though eating the food was great, the main attractions were the activities and crafts for all ages. A decorated altar was set up for people to remember a lost loved one. People made flowers out of fall colored paper. Also, a wide variety of colored icing was available to decorate skulls made of sugar, which is a big tradition in Mexico.
Cozzi wanted everyone to not only eat well and participate in the activities, but to learn about the culture surrounding the holiday. She placed posters with word definitions and Spanish translations all around the room. Wherever people turned they read about the tradition. People had a blast socializing with their friends and meeting new people.
"Lock Haven is a beautiful town, but it is a little isolated from things happening around the world," said Spanish professor Dr. Valerio. "It's great that students are taking the initiative to learn about other cultures."
Dr. Valerio and others were given the opportunity to speak of their experiences of the holiday from their home country.
Many people were excited to hear and listened intently to the stories given. Other people not from other Latin American countries were given a great chance to practice speaking Spanish to native speakers.
The event was not just for Lock Haven University. Parents brought their children and they all enjoyed mingling with the students and professors. It was a great way to bring the university and community together to learn about and celebrate The Day of the Dead.
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