BILLINGS — Students in Billings are keeping memories, loved ones, and their Hispanic culture alive through community outreach.
At the Boys and Girls Club on Saturday, members of Raza Unida, a Hispanic cultural club through Billings Public Schools, hosted their second annual Día de los Muertos celebration. The event, which was open to the public, invited families to honor loved ones who have passed while sharing the traditions of one of Mexico’s most meaningful and vibrant holidays.
Watch how Billings students and community members are celebrating their culture during Día de los Muertos:
Billings students celebrate Día de los Muertos while building pride in Hispanic heritage
“It’s always just about celebrating those people we’ve lost because in Mexican beliefs, someone or something is only truly dead when we’ve forgotten their name,” said West High sophomore Ysabelle Ruiz.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is celebrated each year on Nov. 1 and 2, though traditions vary across regions. Events like the one held on Saturday offer an early opportunity for families to participate. Many build ofrendas, meaning altars, decorated with photos, candles, and favorite foods, all believed to welcome the spirits of loved ones home.
“A big misconception about Día de los Muertos is that it’s just one day when it’s really not,” explained Ruiz. “Depending on what region you’re in, it can be a multitude of different things”.
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For Ruiz, that meant honoring both people and pets. Her ofrenda featured a mix of family members, friends, and beloved animals.
“This is Nyx. This is Nala, and this is my dad’s old best friend from the Navy, who unfortunately died, named David,” she said, pointing to photos on her altar.
Nearby, over a dozen other ofrendas were lit by candlelight. Each one told its own unique story, but all showcased similar traditional items associated with the holiday. Candles are meant to light spirits’ paths home to Earth, marigolds attract them, incense purifies the air, and food and drink provide a meal after their long journeys. Sugar skulls represent the joy and individuality of the departed.
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“You can see within these altars how much these people mean to us, and so when you walk by, you’re like, ‘Oh, wow, she was definitely loved, or he was definitely loved, and you can see within these altars what made these people so happy,” said Alyssia Nava, the club’s founder.
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Billings resident Stella Cano made her first ofrenda this year, including family photos, confetti, and a toy train to symbolize her relatives who worked for the railroad. She even included a burnt tortilla, something her mom would always have when making them. Cano said that putting together the display brought many bittersweet emotions.
“My sister, Delphine, helped me, and bringing back the pictures and all the memories, it’s good, it is,” said Cano, with tears in her eyes. “I tell my kids it’s good to cry. Sometimes you’re laughing about all the dumb things we did with them, and then another day you’re crying because they’re not here to share it with us … we had good lives with them.”
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Arciela Meza is Nava’s cousin and attended with her family to build an ofrenda for more than a dozen relatives and friends. While the topic of death can be sad for many, on Día de los Muertos, it is seen as a natural part of life that should be celebrated.
“Even though it is a very upsetting moment for people that they’ve lost their loved ones, but we also need to realize that they are in a better place, and I’m sure they’ve met with the loved ones that have passed away before them, and they’re all reconnected,” said Meza. “I feel like them seeing us down here celebrating them and coming together also makes them happy, so I feel like it’s a very happy celebration as well.”
The celebration was organized with the help of Raza Unida president Ruiz and vice president Larissa Gutierrez, a sophomore at Senior High School, with guidance from Nava and their advisor Brooke Stone, a Skyview special education teacher. The club was founded to connect Hispanic students in the district and promote pride in their heritage, while also teaching others in the community about Latino culture.
“There’s such a small community here, but obviously it’s much larger on the South Side,” said Ruiz. “We try to bring people together and celebrate our culture and make sure that every student, especially, has something to look up to and something to be proud of.”
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“We can’t let it go anywhere. We have to keep our culture around,” added Gutierrez. “I thought it would be important because it was starting to fade slowly, and like now starting to slowly come back stronger again.”
Nava said events like this are essential for visibility and acceptance, especially at a time when many Hispanic families continue to face discrimination and hostile attitudes toward the Latino community.
“My kids have been called names. They have been told to go back to their own country, and it’s unfortunate,” said Nava. “But I tell them, educate them, invite them to these spaces, and I also tell my kids, you belong in every space that you enter. I don’t care, you deserve to be there.”
“It’s one of those things where you can celebrate where you’re from without doing anything, saying, or believing anything negative about where you are,” added Stone. “We’re bringing new, unique, and cool experiences that not everyone gets to interact with.”
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Stone, who has helped advise the club for several years, said they hope Raza Unida’s efforts are reshaping the conversation about culture in Billings.
“This club would not be what it is without (Nava) and without the students that we’ve got. We’ve got such amazing kids with this club,” said Stone. “When it comes to events like this, if we just look around, there’s so many different community members. There’s so much different support. Everyone wants something like this in Billings.”
The students are responding to those negative stereotypes with positivity. Through outreach projects, murals, and cultural events like Saturdays, they’re turning their pride into action.
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“I tell my kids, ground yourself in your culture because our culture can be so easily lost, especially with where we’re at in Montana,” said Nava. “Be proud of who you are, and this is just one way for them to get to experience that.”
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For the organizers, Día de los Muertos is more than just about mourning, but also about connection with their surrounding community. They invite everyone to experience what they have to offer and enjoy the opportunity to educate others on the culture they love deeply.
“Don’t be afraid to indulge in other people’s cultures. Go out there, educate yourself, participate even, because we’re very welcoming,” said Nava.
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“This isn’t just to celebrate our Hispanic community members here in Billings. It’s for anyone to come to learn, to interact with, and hopefully come away having a richer understanding of everyone that’s involved,” added Stone.
For Ruiz and her classmates, Día de los Muertos is a reminder that love outlasts loss, and that they will continue on their culture’s traditions for generations to come.
“Already within these last few days, like I’ve been feeling their presence around me,” said Ruiz about her loved ones. “I’m sure that I’ll keep feeling that until they eventually have to go back to the land of the dead until next year.”