October Thought Day 24: Dia de los Muertos

I know it is a bit early for this thought, and if you really want to be a stickler, it happens in November so by all rights it shouldn’t even be here; however, aside from all the scary, creepy, pumpkin spice loving, leaf peeping, everything, I think following a Dia de los Muertos pattern is really how I have celebrated October all these years.

The belief in supernatural circles is that on Halloween and the following day, the veil between the worlds is thinner and the dead can interact with the living. I don’t know if I believe that or not. Ok, let me clarify. I certainly have never had an expired loved one chat at me on Halloween or any other day, nor have I tried to contact them, nor do I plan to. I think that specific part is a bit far-fetched. However, I know there are things that can’t be explained by science and rational thought. I do believe there is a supernatural world that we can’t see and I believe in life after death. I don’t know if the dead try to communicate with us though.

This is what I do know. In October for whatever reason, I think about those who have passed more than any other month and it has nothing to do with skeletons, zombies, tombstones or any of the other Halloween related stuff. Some people feel their loved ones absences more acutely around Christmas or Valentine’s Day, but since October is my month of reflection I think of them now.

Dia de los Muertos is a two day festival on November 1^st (All Saints Day) and 2^nd (All Souls Day) honoring the departed. In this particular belief death is seen as a part of the human experience and it is felt that the dead would be offended by grieving and sadness, hence the festivities to honor them with laughter and joy. Being the irreverent person I am, that’s how I would like to go out if I had a choice, with laughter and joy. I understand the place of mourning, but why not choose to celebrate the life that was lived and the memories that were made.

For the Die de los Muretos celebrations, the graves of loved ones are decorated which I think is a lovely tradition. Candy and sweets play a large role in the celebration and their sweetness is seen as a counterpoint to the bitterness of death.

This year for the celebrations I will remember the life of my Uncle Richard. It is still hard to view this loss with anything but sadness. Though he passed five months ago I still find myself dialing the phone to tell him something or taking a picture to share that I know he’ll get a kick out of. Then I remember and it hits me like a ton of bricks all over again. This November 1^st will be for him. I will try to find the joy of remembrance and celebrate. I know he wouldn’t want me all teary and mopey and I know that if he is looking down on me he sees the goofy pictures I take and reads my long winded posts and chuckles. He shakes his head at his goofy niece and misses me too.

So my challenge to you this October/November is to remember. Look back fondly on those who impacted your life but were called to a better place. Remember the good and cherish those who you still have to hold dear. Who will you remember this October?