Annual Día de los Muertos event aims to honor departed loved ones
Whether from the pandemic or other causes, nearly all in the UTHealth Houston community have experienced the death of a friend, family member, or colleague.
To remember the lives of those we have lost, all six UTHealth Houston schools will observe the Mexican cultural holiday Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with “Día de los Muertos at UTHealth Houston.”
Día de los Muertos is a celebration of life and death. The concept is that during Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, the border between the spirit world and the real world is dissolved. During these days the dead return to the living world to feast and drink with their loved ones. The living family members leave the deceased’s favorite foods and offerings at their gravesite or an ofrenda. Ofrenda is a Spanish word that means offering. A traditional ofrenda during this cultural holiday contains favorite foods and beverages, photos, and memorabilia of the departed.
The UTHealth Houston Office of Diversity and Inclusion invites the community to help recognize the Mexican cultural holiday by embracing the ofrenda during the week of Oct. 31-Nov. 4. The office invites the entire UTHealth Houston community to participate by placing a photo and a note about a loved one who has passed in order to honor them and their memories. From noon to 1 p.m. on Oct. 31, marigolds will be available to place on the ofrenda for those who do not wish to place a photo. The displays will remain through Nov. 4. Stop by each school’s designated location during Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 to participate, or simply learn more about the holiday.
Learn more about the various objects on a traditional ofrenda online.
Locations of ofrendas:
- McGovern Medical School: Leather Lounge
- School of Dentistry: 4thfloor near the Alumni Circle
- School of Biomedical Informatics: 6thfloor extension building by the staircase
- Cizik School of Nursing: in front of the multipurpose room
- MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School: GSBS Commons on the 3rdfloor
- School of Public Health: RAS Building lobby
Regional campus locations:
*Note the ofrendas are in the lobbies of each building*
- School of Public Health Austin Campus, UTA Building, 1616 Guadalupe, Ste. 6.300
- School of Public Health Brownsville Campus, SPH Building N, 80 Fort Brown
- School of Public Health Dallas Campus, Trinity Towers Building, 2777 N. Stemmons Freeway, Ste. 8400
- School of Public Health El Paso Campus, Cardwell Collaborative Building, 5130 Gateway Boulevard East
- School of Public Health San Antonio Campus, 7411 John Smith Drive, Ste. 1100