Day of the Dead 5

Posted on November 6, 2002 in Festivals Photos

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No, this isn’t about the Tuesday elections’ voter apathy or the lethargic Democratic Party get out the vote effort. It’s still about the fiesta I attended last Friday.

Today’s pictures depict some of the altars that people raised around the plaza or in their storefronts. I’ve concentrated on details, the objects and food items that the creators placed upon the tables to represent those who they’d lost.

In particular, I was struck by two altars: the one raised by Kaiser Hospice and the one sponsored by the Gay and Lesibian Alliance (GLASS). In the former case, the creators used bagels instead of the traditional Day of the Dead bread. More inventive was the way that they got around the patient confidentiality problem. They could not place photos or name the patients, so they gave each staff member an envelope. Those who wished to do so, put something inside. All the envelopes, marked with the staff members’ names, encircled an upper tier of the altar, representing all those who had died under the care of those staff members. By pointing to the good works of the doctors, nurses, and other staff, Kaiser found a nifty way, I think, of welcoming the dead and respecting their privacy.

The creator of the GLASS altar, a bisexual Latino, told us that they decided to make a altar which would include the entire human family. They featured pictures of deceased men and women of peace such as Gandhi, John Lennon, Cesar Chavez, Princess Diana, and Mother Teresa. Each continent had at least one representative. We had a good laugh when he told us about the problem they had finding a suitable candidate for Asia. “Of course the Dalai Lama came to mind. We couldn’t, of course, use him because he was still alive. So someone suggested that we use his predecessor. But then we remembered he’s supposed to be reincarnated. So technically, he’s still alive.”

Thanks GLASS for your inclusive altar. I have no idea who won the contest. There were several fine contestants. And, I believe, every soul they welcomed was well satisfied with the feast the living laid out for them.

I wonder if Gandhi tried a bagel?

Just one more installment.