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Dia de los Muertos celebrations commemorate indigenous lives lost

Candles and marigolds as part of a traditional ofrenda.
Gabriel Perez
/
Getty Images
Ofrendas are altars, made to honor the lives of those who have been lost. Deceased individuals are remembered with the placement of flowers and candles at their cemeteries.

Halloween isn’t the only holiday happening this weekend. Día de los Muertos celebrations kick off on Saturday.

West Valley Arts is celebrating this tradition through a memorial altar or ofrenda honoring the deaths of indigenous children who died in boarding schools in the U.S. and Canada. The ofrenda was created by students of the Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City and features orange paper shirts with messages commemorating those who died.

Anna grew up begging her mom to play music instead of public radio over the car stereo on the way to school. Now, she loves radio and the power of storytelling through sound. While she is happy to report on anything from dance concerts to laughter practice, her main focus at UPR is political reporting. She is studying Journalism and Political Science at Utah State University and wants to work in political communication after she graduates. In her free time, she spends time with her rescue dog Quigley and enjoys rock climbing.