Alpha Psi Lambda hosted a Dia De Los Muertos event in the SUL Concourse at the Hammond campus on Oct. 27.

The event was put together to inform the community about Dia De Los Muertos and to act as a fundraiser to help in putting together future events sponsored by the group.

“We’re doing Dia De Los Muertos because it is coming up in November and part of our purpose is to spread cultural awareness,” Paula Callejas, a senior hospitality and tourism major and member of Alpha Psi Lambda, said.

Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and in other cultures around the world as a day for family and friends to gather to remember loved ones who have passed away. Jorge Morales, senior psychology major and member of Alpha Psi Lambda, said there’s a misconception surrounding the holiday.

“I think it’s a great idea to bring cultural awareness but I feel that people have this obsession with just the sugar skulls and the theme and they don’t really take the time to know what it’s actually about,” Morales said.

The holiday is traced back to the indigenous pagan cultures where skulls were kept to display death and rebirth. In Mexican culture, it is believed that the eternal soul can, during this time, travel between the worlds of the living and the dead.

“It’s more than just a costume, it’s a part of a heritage, it’s also a part of what our foundation is based off of, which is Latino history,” Velari Dorsey, a senior Communications major and President of Alpha Psi Lambda, said.

The groups said that they had received very positive reactions from people about the event.

“I think the one thing I want people to take away is that there is more meaning to it than just a party, it’s an actual holiday and, for my family, it’s very close to us because we take the time to talk to people who have passed, so it has a deeper meaning,” Callejas said.

The group also said that they learned new things while researching for the event.

“I didn’t know that there was a specific flower, the Marigold is the traditional flower used,” Callejas said.

For Morales, it was that there is a specific bread made for the altars made for the dead. Dorsey said she found it interesting that there were actually two days associated with the holiday, one for infants and children, another for adults.

Dia De Los Muertos coincides with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2.

The next event Alpha Psi Lambda will be hosting will be a basketball game to benefit the Boys & Girls Club on Nov. 11 at the Fitness Center.