In the US it is Halloween. However in Mexico on November 1 and 2 it is the Day of the Dead. It is a beautiful time. All the family goes to the cemetery to decorate the graves and have a little gathering to remember their loved ones. They bring food and drinks and other things that person loved and place them on the grave. Special little sugar items can be purchased or made to add to the altar. These can be sugar sculls, plates of food or other decorations. The story goes that the dead travel from the land of death to the land of the living on this day. That is why there is food for them. There are also little hats and shoes. They have traveled a long way and they need new clothes. Marigolds are everywhere. Supposedly the dead can smell them so it helps lead them back. All of this is very cute but the most important part is the family remembers those that have passed. I have hundreds of photos from this amazing time. It is another one of Mexico’s photographic delights. We have also had day of the dead ceremonies where people bring a photo of a past loved one. We make an altar and everyone shares a little about their dead friends and relatives. There are tears and laughter.
