On campus and Off campus festivities

For my off campus event I decided to attend the Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) celebration at the Mexican American Culture center in Austin. The day of the dead celebration is Mexican holiday that celebrates the life cycle of the decests. To be honest I was not too excited about going to this event. I had no idea what it was about and frankly I was not interested. However, one of my friends really wanted to attend as an extra credit opportunity for an anthropology class and I somehow got suckered into driving. I found the celebration quite interesting. We got there just in time to listen to a live band JEZ y Los Texas Wranglers (I think I spelt that right) and walk around viewing the shrines. The shrines are constructed for the loved ones that have past in celebration of their life. They varied in elaboration and content but mostly included pictures and material possessions of the deceased. During the day of the dead celebration it is typical for the family members to cook the favorite foods of those that have past and present it to their grave during the festivities. The celebration was a lot of fun with loud music, people dancing and a lot of traditional Mexican food (I can’t forget some of the awesome costumes people were wearing). I have never seen anything quite like it before. It was interesting to see how a different culture honors those they have lost. In a way it seemed to act as a coping mechanism, to celebrate rather than grieve. I feel like sometimes I refer back to the out of sight, out of mind, mind set when it comes to those I have lost in my life. But that has a lot to do with the culture I was raised in. I appreciate the Mexican culture for taking a day out of the year to celebrate those lives. I also enjoy how the community can come together to celebrate this tradition.
For my on campus event I attended a Diwali celebration. A bunch of students put on a little festival featuring traditional Indian music, delicious Indian desserts, and Henna tattoos. This was an amazing experience because before that day I never heard of Diwali. One of my friends was the coordinator of the celebration and filled me in on what she said the biggest holiday celebration in India. This celebration known as the festival of lights is a five day celebration. Each day represents a new philosophy to celebrate (I apologize; I do not remember what each of the five days represent). I had a grand time visiting, celebrating with my friend and walking away filled with more knowledge that I was not expecting to gain. This experience taught me two very important things, that the American education system does little to help expand the knowledge of other cultures and that there is hope because even the youth are interested in sharing their culture with others. I was slightly disappointed and partially embarrassed that I never heard of this holiday before. I always thought myself to have a well rounded education but lately I have been finding massive gaps in my knowledge when it comes to worldly cultures. I figured since America took so much pride in being a melting pot, learning about the world’s cultures would be an important aspect to teach in schools. There is a lot to be said and desired in the education system but it is refreshing to know that what knowledge we may lack is made up by people willing to share their heritage.

When attending these events I did not realize how closly related they were. They are completly different but I have come to the same realization at both. Sometimes I get too caught up in my own life to realize what great opportunity for expanding my knowledge of the world and humans in general, I am able to have. And there are many times I take for granted living in America. It is easy wanting something more, something different but I believe so much can be learned in America through the culture overlaps that are just not feasible in other countries. Of course it takes extra efforts to seek out these opportunities but some are closer than you realize.