2011 day of the dead

my camera battery died for day of the dead (right?!), so i only have these two to offer from halloween.

halloween was halloween. i felt proud of my son because he wanted to be a "big fat chicken" and was comfortable in his very homemade costume. the yellow rubber gloves pulled over his shoes for chicken feet were my favorite, but he was most pleased with the fat aspect of his costume, a pillow stuffed in front and back which got a lot of friendly punches and attention. maya had the brilliant idea to be a toilet with a remote control skunk popping out, but we just couldn't put it together over the weekend, so she was a witch. we met our friends on potrero hill, saw some great decorations, and scored lots of candy. the kids were ready to go home after an hour--it has been a busy few weeks.

tonight i went out alone to garfield park to check out the day of the dead celebration and altars. once again i fell into a peaceful and somewhat awed state. every year the altars are more beautiful and elaborate. some are pure family, with grandmas and cousins, missed fathers and mothers. some are for the community, with various places to write messages to and thoughts about dead friends and family. people with beautifully painted skeleton faces walk throughout the crowd. there was a heavy metal altar. a skateboard altar. probably my favorite was an altar with information about the tribes of what is now called california--how most are gone, but some members live on. there was a tree in the middle of four converging paths. each path (north, south, east, west) represented something different, such as illumination of the mind, facing the darkness. you took a handful of cornmeal and walked to the center from the direction you chose, placed the cornmeal under the tree. incense is in the air. most people are talking and some are laughing, a few look sad. lots of marigolds and the smell of weed too. many little candles. all kinds of san francisco people are here, definitely many folks younger than me. a sorrowful sounding brass band walks by. a man is breaking the rules and selling ice cold beer from his cooler on wheels but that's ok.

halloween was a little unsettling because i can't help but notice every year how my kids are getting bigger and bigger. each halloween reminds me that this holiday will be limited--that all too soon my babies will not want me with them on halloween night. day of the dead feels more calming and grounding to me. somehow knowing that there will be people out celebrating us when we are gone, with a photo, a scrawled message on a piece of paper hanging in the air, or an elaborate altar with candles and art and sculpture is comforting. i can hear the sounds right now from my house, a bunch of drums playing together, over the waves of traffic noise, people pounding on their drums. i know there is a throng of people still out there, one man playing kool and the gang through a speaker, others holding hands and missing someone, most just enjoying being alive.