Day of the Dead

If you are not used to Day of the Dead symbolism, it can be quite startling. Throughout Mexico, and in Mexican neighbourhoods around the world, the skeletons that appear (in all guises and doing any number of antics) will not be for Halloween but for Día de Muertos. The festival lasts from the last day of October to the 2 November and is a time for family and friends to remember and celebrate their departed loved ones and help them on their spiritual journeys.

As I wandered around the Mission District of San Francisco last month, historically the Hispanic quarter, I spied many Day of the Dead preparations. I love the irreverent, playful skeletons. They seem so different from a more familiar avoidance of talking about death. You will find more cavorting bones and additional photographs of Northern California here.

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