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Day of the Dead Celebrated at Simmons Hall

  • Nancy DuVergne Smith
  • slice.mit.edu

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A Day of the Dead alter, complete with skull and offerings of bread.
A Day of the Dead alter, complete with skull and offerings of bread.

Guest Blogger: Sarah Bindman ’13, Simmons Dining Chair

November 2 we celebrated our first ever Day of the Dead Dinner at Simmons Hall. The event was a great success as students took time during their dinner to decorate skull-shaped cookies and make skeleton crafts.

Sarah Laskey '11, chair of Simmons House Committee; Sean Karson '14; Sarah Bindman '13, Simmons Dining chair; Stacy Maheras '11; and Christina Johnson '11, president of Simmons Hall, enjoy the Mexican feast.
Sarah Laskey '11, chair of Simmons House Committee; Sean Karson '14; Sarah Bindman '13, Simmons Dining chair; Stacy Maheras '11; and Christina Johnson '11, president of Simmons Hall, enjoy the Mexican feast. Photos: Tom Gearty.

The idea for the event first came from Simmons' housemaster Ellen Essigman. She wanted to host a dinner that would be more special than our everyday meals. She also emphasized the potential of making the event both fun and informative. Using this as a jumping off point, we went about researching the Day of the Dead to better understand the holiday and the important elements of the celebration.

Dean Chris Colombo’s sons Paul and Michael pick decals to decorate their Day of the Dead necklaces.
Dean Chris Colombo’s sons Paul and Michael pick decals to decorate their Day of the Dead necklaces.

The final event included posters that described the important cultural aspects of the Day of the Dead and Simmons’ take on a traditional altar. Simmons’ Dining also helped us by serving a menu that included traditional foods: fajitas, tortilla soup, and agua fresca.

I was impressed that students took time out of their busy schedules to engage with one another and learn about cultural events that may differ from their own. All in all it was a very positive event and I’m excited for Simmons to have more special dinners in the future.

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