Dia de los Muertos treats

Because I’m ushering November in with a new abecedarium on my blog, I’m taking today to post some of my favorite things about Dia de los Muertos.  You can get a head start in enjoying them with me.  Or maybe I mean a skull start.

Let’s begin with a peek at Yuyi Morales the delightful artist who created Senor Calavera the wonderful character debuting in Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book.   Poke around this site, but do be sure to watch the video Ta-Da!  The Making of Just a Minute.

And then if you decide you love Senor Calavera as much as I do, you can check out more of him here and here.

I’ve mentioned before my love of an old computer game from the late 90s called Grim Fandango.  The art was fabulous and fascinating.   And this is a perfect time to revisit the characters, so check out this video trailer clip.

For something completely different and yet breathtaking in its own artistry, here’s another video done by Crankbunny, aka Norma V Toraya, animator and paper artist extraordinaire.  The story is “inspired by visual folklore that different cultures (Spanish Day of the Dead paper cuttings, mythical shadow plays from Southeast Asia) have used for hundreds of years to illustrate the why & how of our own mortality.”

Traditionally this is the time to make pan de muerto, bread of the dead.  This is a nice recipe if you’re so inclined.  But bread making is time-consuming, and I’m not up for it this year.  I may try something simpler, like these ossi dei morti Italian bone cookies.

And here’s the perfect song to celebrate Dia de los Muertos:  Sweet Honey in The Rock’s Breaths.

Offering these beautiful marigolds in remembrance.  Wishing you and your beloved departed blessings whether you choose to celebrate with a formal ritual or not. 

I’d love to hear if and how you celebrate Dia de los Muertos or if you have a particular custom or ritual for honoring your ancestors.  Do tell.