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| Sayulita Plaza Entrance Decorated for Dia de Los Muertos |
Dia de Los Muertos in
Sayulita was amazing! So much color in this celebration. So much work done by
the town’s people! It is one of the most popular holidays in Mexico and this
year Sayulita went all out on their decorations. Everything was beautiful!
The altars built in the plaza by families are memorials to a loved one who has died but is still remembered publicly. Many of these are built each year using fresh marigolds, candles, personal items of the deceased, and other memorabilia, to be displayed for the two days of Dia de Los Muertos.
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| An Entire Block of Calle Delfines Was an Altar |
Dia de Los Muertos (The Day
of the Dead), a beloved festival in Mexico, honors the loved ones who have passed
while celebrating the preciousness of life. Unlike Halloween, this holiday is
not scary but a time for honoring and family reunion with loved ones on the
other side.
La Catrina has
become a symbol of Día de Los Muertos. Originally portrayed in a 1910
etching by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada as a high-society skeleton lady
dressed in a fancy floral hat, she is now seen in Mexican handcrafts, art, and costumes.
Throughout the festival, children and adults dress in imaginative versions of La
Catrina, including elaborate face painting.
A stage was set up in the street across
from the plaza with lights and speakers for the dancing and singing performances
that would last from 6:00PM until late into the night. The crowds gathered
early to get good seats for the shows.
Thousands of handmade “flags”,
ribbons, and pom-poms were used to decorate the plaza’s gazebo, the entrance to
the Catholic church in the plaza, and hung in streamers overhead in the main
streets of the town. Not only did this décor create an incredible swirl of moving
color as everything swayed with the ocean breeze, it eliminated the use of
plastic flags this year and can be reused in future festivals.
Food vendors' tables lined the streets, ready to sell tacos, hotdogs, pozole, elotes, cake, and other delicious fiesta food. Eating is an important part of the festival and would continue late into the night.
I have never seen so many people
in this little Pueblo Mágico, Sayulita, at one time. It was beautiful to see so
many people working together to create the fiesta atmosphere and then, for two
days, enjoying this solemn yet joyful holiday.
Terry L Turrell, Author
