November 1, 2016 Dia de los Muertos

(Images marked "By CR" taken by Chuck Rubin.)

By CR

     Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a major holiday throughout Mexico that honors the dead by celebrating the lives they lived. Altars are erected in homes and public places, gravesites are cleaned and decorated with marigolds and photos of the departed. Often a family meal, consisting of the departed’s favorite foods, is served graveside.

     In San Miguel de Allende, organized tours bring travelers from around the world to swell the crowd of costumed revelers who, starting at 8:00 pm on November 1, parade from the Rosewood Hotel (and other venues throughout the City) to the Jardin Principal (San Miguel’s Central Plaza). From 9:00 until . . .?, the party at the Jardin roars. There are fireworks, music and movies. But mostly people are there to show off their costumes, be admired, and to admire the fancy dress of others.

     In past years, we have participated as spectators. For 2016, we joined with our friends and neighbors, Chuck Rubin and Claudine Langan, to host a party for 15 people. From 5 until 8 in the evening, each of us enjoyed wine, appetizers, a light entrée, and salad until it was time to be made-up by one of the four makeup artists. By 8:00, all had been transformed into ghouls and specters of varying degrees of delight or horror. Below are images taken just before our departure for the Jardin. 

By CR

By CR

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And here are some from the Jardin . . .

The Bride

The Butterfly