Joyful Remembering

Today is Day of the Dead. It also happens to be my birthday. Depending on one’s orientation and state of being, both occasions have the word fiesta written all over them.

If you live in Mexico it’s very likely that you know about the remarkable celebration that happens at this time of year on November 1st and 2nd. The former honors all babies that have died, and the latter honors the memory of those adults who’ve passed. On these two days it is believed that the veil between the spirit world and the material is at its thinnest – a perfect time to connect in and…

Remember.

There’s that word again. I wrote about the idea of gathering the missing parts of ourselves in a post called Gathering Our Self. In Mexico there is an actual two days devoted to this! An annual event that brings families together from the present and the past to the same place.

Dia de los Muertos is a time of celebration, not mourning. Death is fully embraced and honored. People spend days (and in some cases, entire paychecks) creating elaborate altars featuring exuberant bouquets of flowers, framed photographs and recuerdos (remembrances) of their loved ones, colorful candy calaveras (skulls), and all manner of favorite food and drink. For some families it’s an all-out, all night fiesta. Complete with music and fireworks displays.

My husband and I don’t go all out like the mexicans, but we like to put a photograph of his deceased parents on our rather modest altar and light a candle in their memory.

Is there someone in your life that you’d like to re-member today? What is one joyful thing you can do to honor and celebrate their life?