One of my favorite holidays is Dia de Muertos or Day of the Death. It's a 3-day Mexican holiday to honor and celebrate loved ones who have passed away:
"From pre Columbian times, El Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead has been celebrated in Mexico, and other Latin countries. This is a very special ritual, since it is the day in which the living remember their departed relatives. Sometimes, when people of other cultures hear for the first time about the celebration of the Day of the Dead, they mistakenly think it must be: gruesome, terrifying, scary, ugly and sad. Nothing further from the truth, Day of the Dead is a beautiful ritual in which Mexicans happily and lovingly remember their loved relatives that have died. Much like when we go to a graveyard to leave some lovely flowers on a tomb of a relative."
I'm celebrating this holiday by volunteering at a Dia de los Muertos event at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery , organized by Mano a Mano.
There will be poetry, art and cooking workshops, altar building, dance procession, street theater and mariachis!( oh! and delicious authentic mexican food) This event promises to be very interesting, and if you are in the area, I highly recommended it to you.
Feliz Dia de los Muertos, and Happy Halloween to everybody!
*If you want to know more about this holiday, read this.
Illustration by wonderful Mexican cartoonist Jose Guadalupe Posada.
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