Day of the Dead

my window sill on sunday

On Sunday Mexicans from across London gathered in my neighbourhood to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

I really love this Mexican version of Halloween which goes back to Aztec times. It has some purpose to it, rather than just a fancy dress theme.

The idea is to bring mementos, photos and favourite drinks or food, of the dead that you want to remember. These are added to an altar along with flowers, fruits and symbols of death/life. The atmosphere in the community centre where this was held had become a magical, calm space.

Remembering and celebrating the dead isn't ghoulish, its an important part of the cycle of life. I love rituals with timeless relevance like this.  Its a shame we don't have many opportunities in British modern culture to honour the dead. We have national moments such as Remembrance Sunday, but no tradition for remembering your family, friends, idols or even pets. The Wellcome Collection's current exhibition, Death: a Self-portrait, explores some of these issues - how we confront or hide from death. As my mother said when I gave her an apron with day of the deal skeletons adorning it - 'Oh i don't want to see those, they just remind me that I will be one soon!'

Aside from the solemnity of the occasion, the mariachi played with such enthusiasm they continued through a fire alarm, and the colourful decorative skulls and catrinas (images of dressed up skeletons) make it a visual feast too. In fact the imagery of the day of the dead is becoming more and more fashionable. The skulls providing a more democratic, folk, human version of Damian Hirst's cynical bling diamond skull.

The altar

women dressed as catrinas