Every year in November the palm farm comes alive with the souls of dead people. We who gather welcome these souls with the "ofrenda" alter , candles and photographs. We paint our faces this evening to make calacas, the faces of grinning skeletons. "When the calacas dance, they take children by the hand," says Zarco Guerrero of Mesa, who celebrate this tradition each year. "they are not dancing like the Grim Reaper, who are meant to scare children" on Halloween.

This holiday, this celebration is an acceptance of death, which is inevitable. "Life is a dance with death, we dance with death every moment of our lives, we are always susceptible to death........"

We dance not to have a fear of death but to laugh at it by living fully especially on this night of celebration. By painting our faces as the dead and dancing with each other we add a bit of mockery and humor, that we are alive and living.........this does not take anything away from the ritual of honor and sharing of memories of those spirits who join us for the evening.......the combination of all these elements is what make the "Day of the Dead" a cultural tradition that we share with others......

explore how "we" at our event every year
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You Tube on Face Painting
for those of you who want to participate prior to coming that evening.....here are some hints
a great place to buy your make-up is at Easleys Fun Shop on McDowell Road, south side between 5th and 7th Avenues.......