Students make ofrendas to honor family, friends
October 30, 2020
A large percentage of Morton East students make ofrendas for Dia de Los Muertos
According to Smithsonian Blog, normally, people think that Dia de Los Muertos is like Halloween, but it’s not. Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration that originated in Mexico and Central America with each day celebrated differently. One day is to celebrate children; another day is to celebrate adults. “Indigenous groups, including Aztec, Maya, and Toltec” were the first people to celebrate and start practicing the ritual. Most people think that Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration of death, but really it celebrates the lives of our loved ones who passed away. “Ofrenda is the central component,” a display of Dia de Los Muertos. Typically, this display includes flowers, butterflies, and skulls (sometimes made of sugar). In a random poll of 24 Morton East High School students, 10 usually make an Ofrenda for Dia de Los Muertos.
“I have an Ofrenda in my house,” Texas resident Michael Becker said.
Not everybody celebrates Dia De Los Muertos, and that is fine because not everybody follows the same celebrations or traditions
“My family has one big Ofrenda in my mom’s house and every year we all meet up on Día Del Los Muertos to celebrate,” Texas resident Isaiah Johnson Friend said.
Others later on in their lives decide that they want to start new traditions.
“We have never really had an ofrenda (growing up), but two years ago we started to make Ofrendas,” Texas resident Alex Velasquez said.
Another friend that never really cared up until he got older when he realized that it’s apart of his culture.
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Desteny Alvarado • Nov 5, 2020 at 10:20 pm
(Judge) I absolutely love this article! I agree with the reporter saying that Día de los Muertos is nothing like Halloween. This article is very helpful for educating someone on the difference between both celebrations.
Lizbeth Estrada • Nov 5, 2020 at 1:44 pm
(Judge) This articles did an amazing job on talking about the truth about the ofrendas and that not everyone celebrates it. People may think that its a Halloween for the Mexicans but in reality we do the ofrendas to honor our passed family members lives. They put in that we celebrate the peoples lives and not their death which many can be confused with.
Georgina Hernandez • Nov 5, 2020 at 1:44 pm
(Judge) This was a great article i like how it was written. The reporter did it really good job explaining what dia de los muertos really is and how it’s different from halloween.
Heorgina Hernandez • Nov 5, 2020 at 1:43 pm
(Judge) This was a great article i like how it was written. The reporter did it really good job explaining what dia de los muertos really is and how it’s different from halloween.
Miguel A Sanchez • Nov 5, 2020 at 9:47 am
Judge) The Article is good and shows how we respect those who have passed away and even care to those we dont know. It is very different so it is good to put a big clarification
Marlen Gutierrez • Nov 5, 2020 at 9:00 am
(Judge) Great Article and well written. I agree with the point that she stated in the beginning about people thinking that the day of the dead is like halloween. When in reality is a very different celebration.
Marlen Gutierrez • Nov 5, 2020 at 8:55 am
(Judge) Great article! I agree with what she said about people thinking Dia de los muertos is like halloween. When in reality it’s a very different celebration.
Cynthia Venegas • Nov 5, 2020 at 7:55 am
(Judge) I really loved how you wrote about a misconception regarding the day of the dead and cleared that misconception by explaining what the day of the dead was and telling the reader about its meaning and importance.
Celeste Venegas • Nov 5, 2020 at 7:54 am
(Judge) I think this repot or article was made very well. I agree with the statements that were made in this article and think that this helps make people understand the difference in meaning from el Dia de los Muertos to a Halloween celebration. I also liked the understanding and point of view of other people and the quotes from others because this also gives the understanding of why many people think el Dia de Los Muertos is a Halloween celebration for Mexicans and it doesn’t just show one point of view. Well done.
Liliana Bautista • Nov 4, 2020 at 7:55 pm
(Judge) I like how the reporter when beyond and mentioned where it originated from. I also like that the reporter said that El Día de los Muertos is not like Mexican Halloween. I feel like that is something that should be clarified to many people. El Día de los Muertos is a beautiful thing that brings family together. The family who create the altars usually add flowers (cempasúchil), candles, candy, or anything that the person who passed might have enjoyed.
Diana Flores • Nov 4, 2020 at 6:48 pm
(Judge) Great article! I like how the author included some history of the Día de Los Muertos tradition, and how it has nothing to do with Halloween. In addition to this, it would’ve been nice if the author could’ve explained what goes on a ofrenda and what the items represent.
Katherine Gomez • Nov 4, 2020 at 3:54 pm
(Judge) I like this article and how it talks about Dia de los Muertos and how it’s different from halloween.
Victoria Palacios • Nov 4, 2020 at 2:24 pm
(Judge) I agree with the reporter of this article, because they state how El DIa de los Muertos is not a way to celebrate Halloween, but a day to celebrate those loved ones who passed away. I also liked how they mentioned the origin behind this day.
Joanna Villegas • Nov 4, 2020 at 2:24 pm
(Judge) Amazing article! The author did a great job on explaining with details of what the day of the dead was and how some people celebrate it! Before reading this article I didn’t know certain information that was found in this article , which was interesting.
Victoria Palacios • Nov 4, 2020 at 2:17 pm
(Judge) I agree with the reported making a statement in how El Dia de los Muertos is not a way to celebrate Halloween, instead a way to celebrate our loved ones whom have passed away. This brings the valid points they mentioned in the origin of El Dia de los Muertos.
Jonathan Mora • Nov 4, 2020 at 2:15 pm
The most part I like is how you and others celebrate the day of the dead in good description on what to do and how it started. The thing I didn’t like is that they could have added in on what type things can be put on the ofrendas.
Roberto Garcia • Nov 4, 2020 at 2:06 pm
(Judge) I liked the article. The reporter informed well the history of how this tradition started. The reporter could have added more info not about the history but about the altares what they put in. For placing everything that loved one enjoyed the most like a specific food an object etc. Also mentioning the unforgettable cempasúchil wich is the most common symbol to put in any altar there is.
Bianca Sotelo • Nov 4, 2020 at 10:56 am
(Judge) The reporter did a good job explaining what the Day of The Dead is and how it relates nothing to Halloween. I like how they mentioned the origin celebration and how it came to be. Maybe they could’ve been a little more descriptive on what’s on the ofrenda and what they symbolize.
Jose Padilla Gutierrez • Nov 4, 2020 at 10:17 am
(Judge) I like how this article is bringing light to Día De Los Muertos because a lot of people think its like Halloween but that is far from the truth and its such a beautiful celebration not many people here know About.
Marlene Urbina • Nov 4, 2020 at 8:24 am
(Judge) I agree with the article with saying Halloween isn’t like Día De Los Muertos. It is good to show our traditions to others and to offer them. I to make a ofrenda, I made one this year to honor my past ones. It is great to make one, you look at pictures and you remember those good memories with them, you feel blessed knowing you had them in your life.
Alondra Olmos • Nov 4, 2020 at 8:24 am
It is very true that people think that El Dia de Los Muertos is a mexican way to celebrate Halloween. El Dia de Los Muertos is not Halloween, Is a day to celebrate the lives of our loved ones who passed away, and according to the tradition El Dia de Los Muertos is a day were the souls of our loved one come and visit us.
Reporter • Nov 4, 2020 at 8:11 am
The reporter did a fantastic job conducting the research on the topic and providing a broad explanation of the holiday, even incorporating poll results of, specifically, Morton students. However, the reporter could have improved their transition sentences. Instead of moving from blunt subject to the next, think of a way to make the transition sentences smoothly segway into each quote.