The Day of the Dead

Photograph © Mark Carter

This past week we had our Day of the Dead celebrations. It is a Mexican tradition that started perhaps 3000 years ago.

It is believed that during these days our ancestors are able to come back and be with us. During this time we prepare their favorite foods to entice them to spend a few moments with us and as a treat for them. We tell stories of their lives and how they affected ours. The sharing of stories and the food are both touching and beautiful. As part of our food preparation, we also prepare sugar skulls, sometimes with our own names, to remind us of our own mortality and also to remind us that there is a fluid connection between life and death. The skulls are also intended to remind us that death is a natural part of life. Children are not exempt from this ceremony. After all, it’s all about the natural cycles of life which they are a part of. In fact, the skulls that we prepare are for them to eat.

This ceremony brings to me a tranquility that's difficult to describe. I feel a part of the ebb and flow of the energies that comprise the universe. Energy, a part of creation, that will never die.