A friend mentioned it to me and explained the concept and origins...and I have been waiting impatiently for these few days to begin ever since.
For those of you that aren't quite up to date, or just simply lost like I was....lets take a look at Wikipedia's definition of this worldly ritual:
Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where the day is a bank holiday. The celebration takes place on October 31, November 1 and November 2, in connection with the Christian triduum of Hallowmas: All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.[1][2] Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.
Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world: In Brazil Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.
Get it? Well, let me take it from what I experienced at the Mexican Consulate event in Orlando, Florida this past weekend.
I saw Skeletons, flowers, food, cigarettes, cerveza, face paint, honest feelings, sad faces and a huge sense of pride. Friendly folks tried in vain to explain the purpose to me, while speaking in Spanish and feeding me and my son Blaze the best Beef and Sausage tacos I have ever eaten..... in short, I was very welcomed, accepted and taken in.
I first made the connection to photograph this event on Friday afternoon after searching endlessly on the internet for "Dia De Los Muertos" festivals in the area. The closest was in Fort Lauderdale........a bit too far to travel for me......but with some persistence and tracking down and translating the El Sentinel newspaper, I came across a very small article about the Mexican Consulate public event. I knew this was my only chance to capture this festival, so I cleared my cards and charged my batteries. My son Blaze also wanted to shoot, so he agreed to tag along with his DSLR.
Saturday arrived with the cold front, and all of the ofretas that had been arranged outside were packed up, and moved indoors. The first heavy rainfall in weeks arrived to try and ruin the event, but it was not to be.....nothing was going to supress this day.
The event went off without a hitch and the Consulate was packed to capacity. The altars were stacked with candles, old photos, Catrinas, sombreros, paper figures and sugar skulls......It was colorful and GRAND!
Blaze and I took many photos of the surroundings and the parade of worshippers......it was a fantastic experience and we hope to film it again next year. Thanks to everyone who granted us permission to photograph.
Please see photos here:
http://alexmenendez.photoshelter.com/#!/index/G0000kZvwSdxZ_I0
All Images on this blog property of Alex Menendez. Don't steal em.
Dictionary text credit: Wikipedia
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