Throughout Latin America families honor their deceased relatives on el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is celebrated on two days, November 1st and 2nd. November 1, Día de los Inocentes, is a day dedicated to the memories of children who have died.

The holiday blends Aztec and Catholic traditions. Unlike Halloween, the days are looked on as a celebration of life and respect for the dead. Families will visit cemeteries and place flowers on their relatives’ graves and make other offerings to them, often of their favorite food or other items. Many will spend the night in the cemeteries reminiscing about their loved ones. In Mexico, people will eat calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls) and pan de muerto (bread of the dead).

Photos by Amy Wopat

Teatro Milagro, from Portland, Oregon, performed their bilingual Spanish-English play Cuétame Coyote on Thursday, October 16th in the forum of the Schlesinger Center. The actors fielded questions from the audience after their performance and led an acting workshop later in the afternoon from 3:30-5:30. In the workshop students enjoyed learning techniques from Boal’s theater of the oppressed, such as creating still images of colors, objects and world issues and sharing stories of personal journeys.

Thank you to the Office of Student Activities and to the student volunteers from S.A.L.S.A. for making the events possible.

Honors option students from Prof. Davis’s Spanish 202 and Humanities 295 classes visited GALA Hispanic Theatre on Saturday, October 4th. They enjoyed seeing the Catalonian playwright Jordi Galcerán’s comedy Cancún performed by a dynamic and energetic cast. The students were joined by a number of other students of Prof. Davis’s HUM 295: Poetry and Prose of Latin America and Spain course, who had read and discussed the play in class. 

Thank you to Prof. Amey and the Honors Committee for sponsoring the honors option students’ night out!

Members of the VCCS World Languages Peer Group enjoyed their second biennial conference held in conjunction with the 2014 Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA) Conference in Williamsburg, September 25-27. Sixty community college professors from Danville to Annandale and beyond, representing more than five world languages, attended. Peer group members led 16 breakout sessions and held a breakfast meeting and luncheon. Alandra Giron-Simmons from Thomas Nelson Community College was named 2014-16 VCCS World Languages Peer Group Chair.

The VCCS World Languages Peer Group would like to thank FLAVA for their support and collaboration. We look forward to a continued partnership and congratulate Alandra!

Photo credits: Chaiya M. Ortiz

S.A.L.S.A. cordially invites you to Teatro Milagro’s production of the Spanish-English bilingual play, Cuéntame Coyote on Thursday, October 16 from 12-1:30 p.m. in the Forum of Schlesinger Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Food, including empanadas and pupusas, will be served.

Following the play, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in AT121, the actors will lead an acting workshop.

For details, please contact Prof. Davis at mdavis@nvcc.edu.