November 2 is traditionally the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. This wonderful holiday is set aside to honor those who have died. It is thought that the dead relatives and friends will come back on this day to reconnect with their earthly lives. As you can see from these photos, it is a celebratory day, not a sad one. And I think it reflects the Mexican attitude toward accepting the inevitable and enjoying the time they have here on earth.
We decided to take the opportunity yesterday to also bury Maggie's ashes. We had brought her remains down with us from Maine and had been trying to decide what to do with them. Since she loved our garden, we decided to bury her between the Birds of Paradise plants, and to sprinkle some of her ashes on the wall. She continually tried to fly up there to see the birds. We lit a special Guadalupe candle to commemorate her grave. The candle is still burning today.
On Sunday, we held our annual Day of the Dead service at our Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Each year we decorate a large table with traditional marigolds, skulls, and other Mexican Day of the Dead art, and people bring photos to share and talk about during the service. Here are a couple of photos from this year's service.
When we went to Chapala last night for the festivities, we made a special effort to see the elaborate altar prepared by Maria Elena, our maid. She and her family always have one of the largest altars, and last night was no exception. Here is a photo of Maria Elena with Pixie, Fred and me. Maria Elena is wearing the fleece we brought her back from our visit north.
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