Spanish Club celebrates Mexican holiday

Students pick up folds of purple, green, orange, pink, and yellow tissue paper and craft their blossoms with scissors, pipe-cleaners, and help from Spanish Club officers. Soon, bright, vivid flowers bloom in the crowded classroom of Arnaldo Rodriguex.

On Nov. 3, during lunch, the Spanish Club hosted its own celebration of the Day of the Dead, a joyful holiday of remembrance and commemoration observed primarily in Mexico on Nov. 1 and 2. Through such celebrations, the club strives to present the culture behind the Spanish language.

“Spanish club is a nice way for students to learn a bit more about the cultural aspects of the Spanish-speaking world,” junior club member Elyse Berlinberg said.

According to club president senior Alex Amato, another goal of the club is to give students an opportunity to practice speaking in Spanish.

“In general, we strive to teach about Spanish through activities like bingo and other games. We always speak in Spanish,” Amato said.

During the Day of the Dead celebration, students tried pan de los muertos, a traditional sweet bread eaten on the holiday. The club obtained the sugar-coated treats at a local Hispanic bakery.

“I really liked the flowers and the pan de muertos,” senior club member Kelsey Owyang said. “We talked about the traditional [Day of the Dead] celebrations in class, so the club’s activities supplemented that nicely.”

Owyang said she enjoys the cultural activities and the opportunity to practice speaking Spanish offered by the club. This year, the club has enjoyed making salsa, watching Spanish films, and playing a variety of Spanish games.

Owyang hopes to continue seeing new activities in the future.

“I personally would like to do service with the local Spanish-speaking community,” Owyang said. “And it would be fun if the club could host Latin dance lessons with actual teachers.”

According to Amato, the club, with its rich cultural motive, is considering hosting traditional baked goods fundraisers and volunteering with Hispanic families.

“We’re looking into volunteering at local places that will need help during the holiday season where we will [get a chance] at the same time to speak in Spanish,” Amato said.