Bread of the dead with hot chocolate: that was the tasty way students from the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) observed Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Monday, Nov. 1.
It was the finale to a week of observation at NEOMED’s Inclusivity Center, where an ofrenda (a home offering table, or altar) held photos of beloved ancestors brought in by students, faculty and staff. Tiny electric votive candles illuminated the faces in the photos, which were carefully placed behind a border of traditional yellow marigolds.
In Mexico, the culminating Day of the Dead event is usually celebrated Nov. 2. Because NEOMED students have some big exams coming up, they got permission from LMSA advisors Iris Mirelez, M.Ed., assistant director of Student Diversity, College of Medicine; and Victor Torres, M.A., director of Global Engagement, to hold the bread and chocolate event a day early.
Melanie Fernandez (wearing pink in the photo), a first-year College of Medicine student and LMSA member, welcomed everyone stopping by to try the two kinds of bread—one sweeter, with a sugar topping, another with sesame seeds – and hot chocolate, served with cinnamon stick stirrers for a Mexican touch.