Day of the Dead

Four years ago today Barb, Kim, and I were at Rancho la Puerta in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico celebrating the Day of the Dead.

Well, we were actually there because Barb was teaching cooking classes and Kim and I went along to Deborah Szekely’s luxury spa to “assist” Barb with the classes. In all honesty, it was more work for Barb and mostly a getaway week-long retreat for Kim and me that happened to coincide with Day of the Dead.

Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. Gatherings of family and friends come together to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

It is specifically celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday. The celebration takes place on November 1, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. We witnessed the elaborate celebration firsthand in the dining room at Rancho La Puerta.

The other thing I distinctly remember about that trip was that the presidential election happened on November 4th that year and although televisions aren’t provided in any of the guest rooms at Rancho La Puerta, they did set up a big screen in the main room so we Americans could watch the results come in that night.  It was so strange to be out of the country on such an “all-American” sort of occasion. But the three of us were “at peace” with it since we’d all done early voting.

If only the elections could be two days earlier, on November 4th, this year.  I don’t know if I can take much more of the constant commercials and phone calls! Oh, but it appears to be the American way!

Sending out blessed thoughts and prayers to all those we’ve loved and lost this past year. xoxo