Our friend, artist and teacher Sarah Ginn created a community alter for "dia de los muertos" - the Day of the Dead. This is a Latino version of All Hallows Day celebrated primarily in Mexico. Many of the familiar Halloween themes - skulls, skeletons, ghosts - are part of dia de los muertos. But in the Latino holiday, they aren't scary. The dead are not to be feared but celebrated and honored.
Anyone with a loved one to celebrate could put a picture and a brief statement about that person on the alter. Elaine and I put pictures of her mother and grandfather and my mother and father on the alter.
Neither dia de los muertos nor Halloween are celebrated much here on the island. Wal-mart, in which the entire garden section is now Christmas (and has been since the end of September), had ONE rack - not aisle, one RACK - of Halloween stuff. Sarah had her students help make parts of the alter. She got grief from parents who didn't want their children participating in such stuff. A few children weren't allowed to visit the alter.
Special thanks to Suzann for the picture. The alter was open the same time as Lola's so we only a a very few minutes to get there and wouldn't you know it - the batteries in my camera died. Shame shame. But we celebrated their passing at the alter anyway. Thanks for the picture, Suzann. And thanks, Sarah, for the alter.
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