NOVEMBER 1ST: DIA de MUERTOS

Since there is a large Latino population in California, many of them from Mexico, this joyous holiday of DAY OF THE DEAD is celebrated
today & tomorrow.  Despite its name, it is not a celebration of death, but 
rather a celebration of life & family.  It's a reminder that love & memory outlast our inevitable fate.

This holiday originates from the Indigenous people of Mexico & 
Latin America.  In their traditions they perform ceremonies & have special foods to eat, often at the cemetery.   The Disney movie, COCO, made it more mainstream.  My Blip was in the garden of a Hispanic family, whose decorations were joyful, not gruesome, like many other Halloween items.  

One of the biggest activities of this holiday is to create an OFRENDA,
which is like an alter, to attract the souls of those lost.  They can
include a variety of traditional & personal objects, including
the bright orange Cempasuchils flowers, & Pan de Muerto, a sweet
bread.  Calaveras, or sugar skulls, are included to represent death & rebirth.
Framed photos of the beloved dead make the Offenda personal, welcoming their souls back, for this brief time.

"The emphasis of being together in community, with the collective spaces
for grieving, celebrating, for remembering the dead- - is at the core of
this holiday." (LA TIMES)