Dia De Los Muertos

Last May when I went to Roosevelt Utah with Jeff's family I was asked if we did anything for Memorial Day (well besides having a barbeque!) but more precisely going to the cemetery to visit the grave sites of the dead. I replied that we save the Day of the Dead for that--well I shouldn't say this because my family didn't typically observe the day anyway, but a lot of people in Mexico do it. They're having an exhibit at the West Valley Cultural Center so we stopped by last night to visit. I think I knew most of the stuff I read but basically the dead are celebrated for 2 days in November. The 1st of day for children and the 2nd day for the adults 

 

After doing a little more reading I find that the day is not just to revere the relatives who've passed on and honor them with the foods and music and activities they enjoyed, but also in a morbid kind of way to mock death--so if we make death seem just about the same as life (merely just bones without living flesh and organs), the next stage may not seem as scary, right?

 

 

I kind of like that idea yes, if Halloween is all about making fun of horror, evil and all things obscure I can completely see the concept of making fun of the ultimate stage of life, after all what good is life if it can't be enjoyed and celebrated, even in death! Aside from Halloween, how do you honor the dead?

Hope you enjoy these few pictures I took of the display!