AllSoulsDay~ DayOfTheDead

The Day of the Dead is a celebration of two cultures: Indian and European. The culture believes that we have three deaths: death when our body stops functioning, death when we are buried in the ground, and death when there is no one left to remember us.

Just like the Egyptians, the Aztec, the Mayan, and the Toltec Indians used to bury their dead in earthen pots, surrounded by things that they would need in their after-life.

The legend of the Day of the Dead is that when we die, our soul goes to the Land of the Dead and once a year, it is permitted to return to earth to visit with our loved ones... so for this culture, Death is not to be feared and it is not a time of mourning. Death is a time of joy.

Preparation for the Day of the Dead is just as busy as our preparation for Halloween, if not more, because people are busy preparing for their "guests."

The first major project is decorating. Altars are prepared by stacking empty boxes at different levels and covering them with a cloth. The altar is adorned with sugar skulls, candles, marigolds (the flower of the dead), pictures of Saints and deceased relatives and idols, and things that the deceased loved when they were alive.

This is an altar for Selena Quintanilla Perez. She was the lead singer of Selena y Los Dinos. I like the special surprise of her face at the bottom of the altar, surrounded by marigolds.

Here is a more typical altar. Yes, you see food and liquor. People prepare the foods their loved ones loved and leave it out for them, just as we leave milk and cookies for Santa.

Making this tag was a real challenge for me. I hope it turns out right on the black background.