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Today is Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead.) A holiday dating back thousands of years to the Aztec civilization, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Mexico and in many Mexican-American communities here in the US. Though it may seem a little spooky, it's actually a really beautiful celebration that honors the lives of those who have passed.
On an impromptu visit to a cemetery this weekend (it
was Halloween...) I was surprised at how non-spooky the experience really was. Granted it was daytime, and I was not alone, but I still found the cemetery to be anything but morbid. Taking the time to read nearly every headstone and learn about the lives of each of these individuals felt more like a celebration of their lives than a trip down death's driveway. I don't know, maybe it's because I grew up with the Haunted Mansion as a major part of my childhood that I kind of viewed the cemetery as a place where all of these souls had gathered to have a big party in the afterlife. (Weird, I know, but that's what the Disney Effect can do to a person.)
Really, though, I found the cemetery quite beautiful, and in my own way I suppose I was celebrating Dia de los Muertos.
One thing I found really interesting was that nearly everything in the cemetery was grey. Grey from the color of the concrete and stone. It begs the question, how much is the color grey associated with death?
How do you feel about cemeteries? Are full of sadness or celebration?
