Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

los dias de los muertos

Today marks the last day of the three-day Day of the Dead holiday. There’s so much I love about this holiday: the playful-yet-respectful attitude towards death, the brightly-colored festivities, the beautiful artwork.

A few years ago I helped design an educational site for azcentral.com about the holiday. It’s a pretty rich resource — definitely worth checking out if you want to learn more about the history and traditions of los Dias de los Muertos.

This past weekend, I checked out the Day of the Dead events at the National Museum of the American Indian. I had hoped that they would have a little more than they did, but it was an enjoyable time regardless.

(Actually, my big take-away that day was of a more selfish nature, as I had the opportunity to practice my Spanish a bit (listening and reading, not speaking) and was reassured that, while I’m woefully out of practice, I haven’t completely forgotten it. I stood to the side as a docent spoke to a camerawoman in Spanish about the significance of the various items in her altar display, and to my surprise I understood almost everything. Granted, she spoke fairly slowly, which helped a good bit.)

More Photos from the Day of the Dead Celebration at NMAI (and Other Randomness) »