Day of the Dead

Happy Day of the Dead! Well, it was yesterday. It is one of my favorite holidays, though this year I was a bit tired and not up to my normal Day of the Dead preparations. Usually I make my own pan de muerto (dead bread), tissue paper flowers, and set up a little altar to honor family and friends who have passed on.

Luckily there was a community event hosted by the Phinney Neighborhood Association. It started with a procession around the neighborhood- Aztec dancers, a drummer, and families with little kids all tromping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain. I walked along, holding my electric candle, thinking a lot about my grandparents and my dear friend Eric, who died way, way too young a few years back and I still miss all the time. Back at the community center, there were more performances, dead bread, Mexican hot chocolate, and a community altar that people could add photos or remembrances of loved ones.

Did any one else out there celebrate Day of the Dead?