A tribute to the Day of the Dead

[Cadaverino]

Octavio Paz, the Mexican poet and essayist, wrote,

The Mexican . . . is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love. True, there is perhaps as much fear in his attitude as in that of others, but at least death is not hidden away . . . Death [in the poetry of Gorostiza and Villaurrutia can be seen] as nostalgia, rather than as the fruition or end of life, [it] is death as origin. The ancient, original source is the grave, not a womb.

El Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is celebrated in Mexico from the night of October 31 (the eve of All Saints Day) to November 2 (All Souls Day). In the best tradition of holidays, it is a mix of Christian and pre-Christian custom, when families visit the graves of the dead, play music, and set up altars in their memory. Children are given candy skulls and marzipan skeletons, and troubadors perform songs about love and death. It is celebratory, not mournful.

A nicely done website with more information and a photo essay: Día de los Muertos.

[One Eye'd Jack]

Cuando era joven, mi papá intentado para hacer que aprende cómo al cound a diez en español. Él me golpeó hasta que grité.
Mis padres eran “Hippies” y viajamos por todas partes. Había estado a México nueve veces antes de que era diez años.
¡Qué recuerdo sobre él todo era que era sucio y espeso y barato!
¡Por supuesto, hay excepciones a cada regla, pero I para uno, y no grande en el conjunto “INVATION mexicano”!

My Spanish isn't very good anymore..... Given my Dad's insistance on me learnig it and just what he put me through, STILL leaves a bad taste in my mouth!

[Dutchess of Darkness]

Honestly, I wish we held similar customs where a loved ones death was celebrated rather then treated as a taboo subject that is kept quite and hidden. I really feel their tradition of anually celebrating their passed loved ones is not only healthier for those still living but a very beautiful and respectful way of showing their love for those who have left this realm. And assisting spirits in making the transition into the next realm.