I am pretty happy with my attempt this year:
The Day of the dead is actually a two day celebration. November 1st is the day of the little angels where we remember the children that have passed and November 2nd is for the adults. It seems like it should be a sad holiday, but it really is a happy occasion.
Tradition states that on these days the spirit of your loved ones come back to spend some time with you. That's the reason for the altar. On the altars you include a picture of your loved ones along with some of their favorite drinks and food for them to enjoy.
In Mexico, families visit cemeteries, clean and decorate gravestones, and leave gifts. I haven't had a chance to do that. Maybe next year I'll plan a trip to Mexico City around this time.
Do you see the painting of the skull on my altar? I made it! It's not perfect as I am definitely not a painter, but I'm pretty thrilled with it anyway.
A week ago I went with a couple of my friends to Painting with a Twist.
^^ That's how the painting is supposed to look according to the teacher.
Painting with a Twist is a two hour painting class where you can take your own food and drinks. Everything is better with drinks and food! It ends up being quite a little party!
This is what greeted us when we got to our seats. Not the drink, that was mine - a ginger cider I was trying out for the first time. It was good but not great.
The instructor had thankfully outlined the skull for us.
She led us through the painting, step by step. Some people were better at following directions than I was. The cider beer didn't help my attention to detail.
This was my finished product:
If I had more time, I would've kept messing with it. And, of course, the more I look at it, the more I want to change.
Oh well! I had lots of fun painting it, and it made the perfect backdrop for my altar. I'm sure that I'll be using it for years to come.
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