Last year I noticed an artwork by Mel Rudgley that really grabbed my attention at Deck Cafe in Dee Why. Ever since I've wanted to attempt a artwork skull to celebrate Dia De La Muertos myself. So with Día De Los Muertos rapidly approaching, I thought that now was a great time to attempt a sugar skull artwork with symbols that represented ones that I have loved and lost.
What is Día De Los Muertos? Día De Los Muertos means Day of the Dead... I'll let Wikipedia explain... Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a bank holiday. The celebration starts at midnight on October 31 and continues through November 1 and November 2, in connection with the triduum of All hallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, Hallowmas, and All Souls' Day.[1][2] Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.
Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world. In Brazil Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain there are festivals and parades and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.
Cast your soul to the sea
When the dark night seems endless
Please remember me
Please remember me
(words from Loreena McKennit - Dante's Prayer)
