El Dia de Los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”) is one of my favorite holidays, even though I know very little about it other than that as an outsider to Mexican culture. My eyes are that of a tourist’s who sees the pageantry of the celebration but not the whole picture. Still, something makes me kvell to the array of cheerful skeletons.*
Today is All Soul’s Day, and the third day of the El Dia de Los Muertos festival. For the past five years, Bede has successfully restrained me from acquiring Day of the Dead dioramas, but this year, I bought a pop-up card to be my little shrine.
Today, I'm celebrating with skeleton stories:
A funny story:
The Dancing Skeleton
"Oooooweeee! Ain't we havin' fun!"
**A scary/romantic story:
Skeleton Woman
(you can find an in-print version of this story in Women Who Run With the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes)
***A scary/creepy story:
Skeleton Woman (& Magic Woman)
And more. If you're just in the mood for a good alphabet book, check out Calavera Abecedario: A Day Of The Dead Alphabet Book, by Jeanette Winter. "F" is for Frida Kahlo!
*I like cheerful skeletons, just as I like cheerful bats.
**I've told this story quite a bit.
***I've told this story more often than I should've.
5 comments:
Well I for one never get tired of hearing any of your stories.
I think the Mexican "Day of the Dead" is ubercool.
I remember stumbling upon one particular celebration while I was looking for my sister down in Mexico. She had been kidnapped by these jewel thieves and a handsome adventurer was helping me find her. Those were heady times.*
*OK, that's from "Romancing the Stone" my life is boring ;)
Yeah for cheerful bats! I recently discovered "Bats at the Beach." So cute. Made me wish I'd read more children's books when I was, you know, a child.
I had my kids draw "San Jacinto Skeletons" today in honor of El Dia de Los Muertos and I read them a very nice picture book called Day of The Dead, I think (culture is a strand of social studies). They threw paper at me.
Nonny: You're funny. :) That reminds me... Mom took my brothers and me to see that movie in the 2nd run theatre, and she was a bit horrified by the whole thing. The boys were young, I was a bit older, but still... there was one scene in particular that had Ulric in stitches. Ahem.
Goddess: I will look for Bats at the Beach. And that reminds me that I need to get my hands on a copy of Gorey's The Gilded Bat. Bats and ballet-- two great tastes together.
LSM: Cool! I'm sure it was colorful paper they threw at you... wasn't it?
Anything they could lob. Wasn't cool.
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