Santa Rosa Junior College students, staff and community members adorned themselves in a myriad of marigolds as the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a/x de Aztlán (MEChA) de SRJC celebrated Día de Muertos under the glow of candlelight and papel picado – colorful, perforated paper banners – on Tuesday evening in Bertolini Hall.
Día de Muertos originated in Mexico over 3,000 years ago and has since branched to multiple Latino cultures that recognize it today. Families traditionally celebrate it on Nov. 1 and 2, when they believe the departed spirits of their loved ones return to visit them, according to the National Museum of the American Latino.
The living commemorate their ancestors by decorating altars with photos of the deceased, food and sentimental items that represent their lives…