Dead Heads

As Hispanic communities continue to grow in the United States, Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is moving toward the mainstream. This celebratory festival occurs on the two days after Halloween, but it is actually distinct in nature. Not morbid or macabre, the holiday is instead a fun, family-based celebration of life and death, a time to honor lost relatives with flowers, favorite foods and treats, even trinkets and toys. The motifs are colorful, with painted skulls featuring bright floral designs and fantasy elements, and skeletons dressed in whimsical attire.