Over the last several years I have become big fan of Dia de los Muertos. I look forward to it every year. The celebration at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the reason this celebration of the Dead has won me over. At the Hollywood Forever Dia de los Muertos; the alters are awesome, the stories of the participants are heartfelt, the costumes are off the chart. If that is not enough they have great food, beer, and margaritas! Hell one year one of the alters had a full Mariachi Band! What a great way to spend a day.

Just once in your life you should go to a Dia de los Muertos celebration. If you live in Southern California you should go to the one at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. If you get bored at Hollywood  Forever you can hunt for the graves of the famous: Cecile B Demille, Jayne Mansfield, Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, Rudolf Valentino, Peter Lorre, Mel Blanc, Clifton Web, John Huston, Johnny Ramone, and for good measure Toto the dog from the Wizard of Oz.

I digress, back to the Dia de los Muerto here is a little background:

Before the Spanish arrived the Aztecs believed that the deceased preferred to be celebrated, rather than mourned. I did not know the Aztecs were Irish! Annually they held a festival celebrating the death of their ancestors, while honoring the goddess Mictecacihuatl, Lady of the Dead. The celebration was held in the Fall and lasted for an entire month!

When the Spanish came to the Americas they attempted to convert the native population to Catholicism and to end the old rituals. They were not totally successful in ending some of the old rituals. 

The end result was more of a compromise, a blending of the two cultures. The celebration of the deceased was shortened to two days and moved to already Catholic celebrations: All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, which are celebrated on November 1 and 2 of each year.

Time has continued to evolve the Dia de los Muertos celebration into what is today a vibrant commemoration of our ancestors. With its new found popularity it has begun to seep into other countries to become an international celebration.

What happened to the Goddess Mictecacihuatl? She morphed into the new identity of "Catrina" the skeletal female you see depicted at the celebrations. She is a reminder to us that death is a fate for all of us, poor or rich.

You will also notice marigolds everywhere.  Why marigolds? It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit the living during the celebration. Marigolds guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and scent. Marigolds, or flowers in general, also represent the fragility of life.

When you go don't be shy.  Talk to the people who have built the alters.  They want to tell their stories.  That is why they came and put so much effort into their alter.  I heard a great story from one participant about the alter dedicated to their Mom.  She wore Mumu's and had enough that they were able to make ten plus quilted blankets using square patches out of her Mumu's.  Mom will be immortal as folks snuggle those into those blankets.  

I Hope you get a sense of the celebration from the post and the pictures!

For those of you that are photographers three tips for taking pictures at Dia de los Muertos:

1. Get close. Most participants dress up to be seen so they don't mind having their picture taken. Be polite and ask first but then get close up. You want their face to fill the image.
2. If you do post processing you want their face to be the center of attention. The celebrations are usually crowded with a lot happening in the background. Crop tight and use a heavy vignette to put all the focus on their face.
3. It's the eyes that make the picture. This is the most important tip of all. For the maximum input you need their eyes looking directly at you not gazing off to the side. It is amazing the difference this will make in your images.