Day of the Dead

On November 1st Mexico celebrates and honors all those who have passed on. It is not like the trick or treat custom in the U.S. There is basically only one costume and that is the skeleton. The treats are laid out in altars to memorialize individuals who are being remembered. In the evening everyone meets in the town square to get their face painted and to admire the elaborate costumes. The ultimate costume is that of Catrina, who has come to represent the idea that rich or poor, we are all skeletons under the skin. .





For some reason I don't quite understand, some people only get half their face painted








Below is one of the giant altars constructed by a group of students.


Altars, also called offrendas, are everywhere. Here is one in a restaurant where we ate.



A store


Another thing you will find are the giant puppets called mojigangas.



They have a starring role in the parade of the Catrinas into the plaza. It was packed, as you can see. I never felt unsafe, didn't see any drunk people or any fights or scuffles, actually no obnoxious behavior at all!

Click here to see the parade

There was a competition to determine who had the best Catrina costume. This lady, a gringa named Claudia, won this year.



I know you are all wondering so, no, I didn't paint my face or dress up. Maybe next year! I think this is the coolest costume, all made out of paper plates, cup and plastic utensils. Wish I could have seen it in person, but actually just found it on the web. Maybe me next year!