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VIBRANT ARTS AND CRAFTS,
DELICIOUS FOOD, AND COLORFUL MUSIC.
THESE MIGHT NOT BE THE IMAGES THAT COME TO MIND
WHEN YOU HEAR DíA DE LOS MUERTOS, OR DAY OF THE DEAD.
BUT AS YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE, THIS LATINO HOLIDAY IS A RICH,
COLORFUL, VIBRANT, HISTORICAL HOLIDAY THAT CELEBRATES LIFE.
AND THE PURDUE LATINO CULTURAL CENTER IS HOSTING ITS SEVENTH
ANNUAL CELEBRATION TO REPRESENT THE CULTURES
OF MEXICO RIGHT HERE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
I'M HERE WITH MARICELA, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR
OF THE LATINO CULTURAL CENTER AND WHO IS ALSO IN CHARGE
OF PUTTING THIS ENTIRE EVENT TOGETHER FROM START TO FINISH.
SO, TELL ME, WE'RE HERE AT THE DAY OF THE DEAD,
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
WELL, DíA DE LOS MUERTOS IS A MEXICAN CELEBRATION.
IT'S ACTUALLY AN AZTEC HOLIDAY THAT CELEBRATES LIFE
AND BASICALLY PROVIDING ALTARS IN HONOR
OF THEIR LOST LOVED ONES.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT GO ON THAT YOU GUYS DO
TO CELEBRATE THIS HOLIDAY?
WELL, WE HAVE A CRAFTS AREA WHERE WE HAVE KIDS
AND STUDENTS MAKE MASKS, AND THEY GET
TO DECORATE SUGAR SKULLS, AS WELL AS MAKE PUPPET SKELETONS
AND DO A LOT OF PAPER FLOWERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND I'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THESE ALTARS.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE?
YEAH. THE ALTARS REPRESENT EARTH, WIND, FIRE, AND WATER.
AND SO THE ALTARS USUALLY WILL REPRESENT EITHER A LOST LOVED
ONE OR LOST LOVED ONES.
WE MODERNIZED IT A LITTLE BIT HERE TODAY, AS WELL,
SO WE HAVE SMOKING CESSATION IN HONOR OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE PASSED
BECAUSE OF SMOKING OR SECONDHAND SMOKE THINGS LIKE THAT TO TRY
TO BRING AWARENESS TO SOME OF THOSE ISSUES.
IT'S OUR JOB, I THINK, TO BRING
OUT OUR CULTURE AND BE PROUD OF IT.
WE'RE ALREADY PROUD OF IT,
AND WE WANT TO SHOW EVERYBODY ELSE HOW PROUD OF IT IT IS
AND TO SHOW THEM THE BEAUTY OF OUR CULTURE, SO OUR JOB IS
TO GET OUR CULTURE OUT THERE AND LET THE LCC GET SOME CREDIT.
I THINK IT'S NEAT TO BE IMMERSED IN A DIFFERENT CULTURE
AND SEE WHAT THEY CELEBRATE AND THE DIFFERENT CRAFTS
AND FOODS THAT THEY HAVE.
MY HERITAGE IS JAPANESE -- MY MOTHER'S JAPANESE --
SO IT'S REALLY NEAT TO SEE HOW DIFFERENT CULTURES CELEBRATE
DIFFERENT HOLIDAYS.
LIKE, I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE --
A MEXICAN HOLIDAY -- SO IT'S KIND OF NEAT
TO SEE A DIFFERENT ASPECT ON CULTURE
AND HOW THEY CELEBRATE IT.
WELL, I THINK IT'S VERY NICE TO SHARE
WITH THE COMMUNITY SOMETHING THAT ALSO IS PART
OF OUR COMMUNITY, AT THIS POINT, WITH SUCH A HIGH PERCENTAGE
OF LATINOS IN OUR COMMUNITY IN LAFAYETTE, INDIANA.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO GET THE PEOPLE THAT AREN'T PART
OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN THAT HOLIDAY.
BUT ON TOP OF THAT, I THINK IT'S NICE
TO HAVE THE LATINO COMMUNITY SHARE WITH THE REST
OF THE COMMUNITY THEIR THING.
SO IT'S SORT OF A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH.
THE LATINO CULTURAL CENTER HAS A SAYING --
"TODOS SON BIENVENIDOS," WHICH MEANS, "ALL ARE WELCOME."
AND SO THIS IS AN EVENT THAT WE REALLY,
TRULY FEEL ALL ARE WELCOME,
AND WE HOPE THAT EVERYONE ENJOYS THEIR TIME HERE,
HOPE THAT THEY COME TO VISIT THE LATINO CULTURAL CENTER,
THAT THIS IS AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO GET MORE INVOLVED NOT JUST
WITH US, BUT WITH THE COMMUNITY,
AS WELL AS IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND SOME
OF THE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
SO WE THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE AND HOPE
THAT THEY'LL COME BACK NEXT YEAR.
ALTHOUGH THE DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION ALL BEGAN IN MEXICO,
THE PURDUE LATINO CULTURAL CENTER HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB
OF BRINGING THIS COLORFUL HOLIDAY RIGHT HERE
TO THE LAFAYETTE AREA.
I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED YOUR CULTURAL EXPERIENCE TODAY.
AND AS FOR ME, I'M GONNA GET BACK TO THE PARTY.
FOR "BOILER BYTES," I'M BREE SWARTZ.