If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance. - G.B. Shaw
Oh, hello November. October has come and gone in such a rapid sweep (Go SF Giants!), that I have officially welcomed fall and all of its autumn glory. This is unquestionably one of my favorite times of the year, which begins the holiday season with Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead. In my culture this is an honored holiday that celebrates and remembers the lives of passed loved ones.
It sounds a bit more morbid that it really is but this national Mexican holiday celebrates death and welcomes the departed spirits home. One of the most important symbols is the calavera, which stand for “skull” in Spanish. Raging from the calaveras de azúcar “sugar skulls” to artwork, these colorful skulls are used to adorn the altars for the dead.
Recently the popularity of calaveras has developed into a highly artistic style of make-up design, combining stunning and elaborate face-paint with various flowers and beads. Here are a few beautiful examples of Mexican skull make-up art, fashion and color that took my breath away…