Downtown Denver Celebrates Día de los Muertos

Lily Berzoza, Staff Videographer

Last fall, Downtown Denver participated in a variety of activities to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos. From homemade shrines to candlelight vigils, a communal sense of love, remembrance, and reverence was nurtured.

Israel Cuts Relations with UNRWA

Caleigh Montoya, Staff Writer

Israel has officially cut ties with the U.N. agency that assists Palestinian refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East,  (UNRWA) the agency that provides help and services for Palestinian refugees. UNRWA has also been helping different organizations to help Gaza. 

Recently, legislation declared UNRWA to be infiltrated by Hamas. However, the supporting evidence seems faulty and UNRWA strongly denied this. UNRWA’s main ways of transport to support Gaza go through Israel. With this choice to cut relations, Gaza will continue to have fewer and fewer resources.

A few key points to understand the situation Gaza and Palestinians are in: 

1. More than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed.

2. An estimated 9.17 million Palestinians have been displaced globally.

3. The majority of Palestinian refugees live in impoverished limbo in refugee camps.

4. 93% of the population of Gaza is facing extremely high levels of food insecurity and starvation.

Cutting relations with UNRWA, the only agency attempting to protect and aid Gaza displays a pure refusal on Israel’s part to try to end this war, or at least end the killings, starvation, and mass displacement of Palestinians.

Native American Heritage Month

Caleigh Montoya, Staff Writer 

November is Native American Heritage Month. This was first declared in 1990 to recognize and shed light on the Native American experience in America. November calls attention to Native American culture, achievements, power, and their history of discovering America first. 

Heritage months are important as they provide moments to celebrate, support, educate, unite, gain perspective, and learn all about America’s intersectional identity. Native American Heritage Month is a month to learn and understand the fact that there were people on this land before not only us, but before colonizers as well. Recognizing the history of Native Americans allows us to recognize America’s ugly but truthful past and without this acknowledgment, we fail to learn from the mistakes made in the name of white supremacy.  

To support Native American Heritage Month, you can learn more about the Indigenous people who lived on the land you currently inhabit. You can also spread awareness and support of Native peoples, by continuing to educate yourself and others about the power that togetherness holds. By acknowledging the past, we can lead to a better future. 

Halloween Around the World: Part 1 of Haunted Histories and Spooky Mysteries

Caleigh Montoya, Staff Writer 

Have you ever wondered how other countries celebrate Halloween? Below, I will tell you how Brazil, South Korea, Haiti, England, and Russia celebrate this holiday. 

Brazil

In Brazil, they call October 31st, “Dia de Bruxas” which translates to “The Witch’s Day”. This is celebrated on the same day we celebrate Halloween in America. People still participate in dressing up but do not carve pumpkins or trick or treat. The most popular costumes include zombie carnival people and rastas! Halloween continues to grow in popularity in Brazil as it is a holiday with much fascination. 

Haiti

For Haiti, Halloween is often not celebrated as it conflicts with religious beliefs and other holidays around this time. Haiti has a tradition where they honor their family members who have left the natural world on November 1st. This tradition is slightly similar to the Day of the Dead, also known as Dia de Muertos, celebrated in Mexico. November 2nd is when Haitians remember the Catholic saints. Some may engage in Americanized parades, almost imitating Halloween, but otherwise, their celebrations are unique on their own. 

South Korea

South Korea uses the Western holiday as an excuse to dress up and go out. Trick or treating and carving pumpkins is not a tradition that they take part in, but they do dress up and go to costume parties. Most costumes are inspired by pop culture idols, such as KPOP stars, actors, and even some foreign celebrities.

Russia

Russia is not very fond of Halloween and views it  as a holiday that goes against Christianity. However, in recent years, clubs have taken advantage of the curiosity of Halloween and have held costume parties to celebrate the holiday.

England

England does celebrate Halloween but it is not necessarily one that everyone participates in. People in England don’t go “all out” like we do in America. They aren’t too fond of the big Halloween blow-ups or haunted houses. However, they do participate in pumpkin carving and their costumes are mostly scary. That's the whole point of the spooky season, right?

Halloween is a pretty big deal here in America, but some countries do not even participate in the festivities! Some may have different traditions and holidays surrounding the day and others may just take bits and pieces from our traditions. Either way, Halloween continues to be a holiday viewed with a lot of curiosity and is interpreted in many different ways.

SOMOS "GOZA" Community Event

Photography by James Ortiz, Staff Writer

Written by Morgan Jacobus, Editor in Chief

On October 25, the Regis LatinX affinity group, SOMOS, hosted a community event called GOZA, which means “enjoy” in Spanish, which encompasses the main purpose of the event. The goal of GOZA was to foster community and invite non-SOMOS members to enjoy elements of Latin culture they may not have tried before. Various departments came together to help execute the event, including RUSGA, the Spanish Department, and ODEIE. Regis students from all walks of life came to participate and enjoy the festivities. Not only did SOMOS provide music and room to dance, but also an array of Latin food including empanadas, tamales, pupusas, as well as aquas frescas. There was also a spirited round of musical chairs and a pinata! Overall, the event boasted a large turnout and succeeded in bringing together the Regis community to experience LatinX culture.

Culture Shocked by my Own Culture

By: Vivian Pham, Staff Writer

The chaotic sounds of traffic on a Monday morning, the impatient scooter honks of office workers who was running late, the warm offering voice of the street vendors, etc. all blending in perfectly like a harmonic symphony, vividly engraved in my mind just like how I imagined what a morning in Hanoi would be like. There’s just something incredible about Hanoi and its constant modernization while simultaneously retaining the antiqueness of a long-historical capital of Vietnam. 

It was my first-time visiting Hanoi. I arrived in Hanoi on a humid summer afternoon, almost fainted from the heat and the packed crowd of people in the airport. I quickly made my way out of the airport and got on a cab, heading towards Hanoi’s downtown, where my hotel was located. It was a quick but interesting ride from the airport to the hotel. The closer I got to downtown, the more people I saw, even though it was a Monday. I saw street vendors full of people circling around, patiently waiting for their orders. An insane amount of little plastic stools scattered across what seemed to be the pavement (I barely recognized the pavement since it was extremely narrow). 

Even though I’ve lived in Vietnam for most of my life and knew what things would be like, I couldn’t help but think how astonishingly different things have been in the span of three years (I couldn’t get back to Vietnam for 3 years because of COVID). For instance, while I was hanging out with my friends, we suddenly decided to go to the lakeshore and have a picnic there. Since it was a spontaneous decision, I wondered how we could get any picnic stuff like a picnic mat or snacks/food. To my surprise, my friends took me to a nearby rental store where you can get any gear you need. It was so convenient, and everything was even automatic and self-served, so there wasn’t any staff in the store except for a security guy. Right next to the rental shop was a convenience store, which sold a wide variety of snacks and food. The store even had a section just for instant noodles. After stopping by literally two stores within 15 minutes, we’d had everything we needed for the picnic. 

It also amazed me how the culture in the South differs from the North. I was born and raised in the South, so it was quite an experience for me to visit Hanoi and nearby Northern cities. One time when I was ordering food from a street vendor, it took me a solid minute to explain what a spoon was because apparently there’s a difference for “spoon” in the North. Or when I had Phở, I asked for a small bowl, and they gave me a big bowl because they were confused with me using a different word for “bowl”. Another Northern culture I thought was interesting and also quite controversial was the hierarchical order of a party. Apparently, in a party, the elders (usually the men) would sit in the big table, also known as the upper table, while children and others (usually the women) would sit in a smaller table, also known as the lower table. Obviously, the upper table would get better and more food than the lower table, and they also get served while the lower table had to serve themself. I did a little research into this, and I found out that it resulted from a long history of hierarchy and favoring male over female. This mindset dates back to the monarchical period and still exists in the majority of Northern extended families.

I found it quite fun and fascinating to be shocked by my own culture, something that I thought I would know best since I grew up within it. This trip has taught me a great deal of knowledge and definitely changed my mind set on how important one’s culture and roots are. With that being said, I encourage you to learn more about your own roots and background, and you’re sure to be amazed at how incredible it is.