Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos
Autumn in Northern New Mexico is a wonder to behold with its colors of gold and red, its deepening shadows and sky, its clear nights displaying brilliant stars and planets.

This time of year, we also move into the rich tradition of Dia de los Muertos, when communities and families gather to honor and celebrate deceased loved ones. Celebrations of reverence, beauty, artistry, and yes, joy — these traditions bring into our awareness the seasons of life. Traditions reminding us that life is a circle of birth and growth and decay and death and regeneration.

In the towns and villages people of all walks of life take this time of year to remember, love, and respect those that have gone on before us.

Traditions on The Days of the Dead
In Mexico, and from the Aztec especially, it is said:

“There are three times one dies.
The first time the soul leaves the body,
secondly when the body is put into the ground,
and the third when people forget.”
(May the third never happen.)

Most of us associate the “Day of the Dead” with Halloween. In fact, the USA has adopted many things from other, older cultures and countries — from Mexico to the Druids to create a commercialized holiday.

There is not just one day of the dead, but five — “Los Dias de Muertos”