Dia de Los Muertos

This evening was the recently traditional Tucson All Souls Procession.  It draws on the Mexican Day of the Dead, the Catholic All Saint's Day, and doesn't shy away from Halloween, but really it's the poster child for a post-modern holiday.  Let me explain what I mean by post-modern, as that word should not be thrown around lightly. 

There's a very defined ritual - everybody dresses up, usually like someone dead, or in black at the very least, often with very large puppets or instruments or drums, or carts, or portable shrines, and processes through town.  At the head of the parade is a very large paper urn into which people are invited to put a name or picture of someone who has died.  Spectators eventually fall into the parade behind/beside, and everyone collects in a big empty parking lot at the end where there is otherworldly music, arialists suspended a great distance above the ground, and fire dancers.  The effect is ultimately surreal, and the climax is lighting fire to the paper urn (and everything in it), after which it is quickly hoisted up in the air and we watch it burn. 

It's a great ritual.  Absolutely spectacular in my book, and just for comparison I'll disclose that I'm rather bored by fire works.  I am fascinated and captivated every time.  It's a great ritual, but the meaning is left open, left to those who come to participate to find/define it for themselves based on what they bring to the experience.  Some march in memory of someone, some march for a cause, some march because they like dressing up in black and painting their faces, some march because they love drumming and dancing.  There's no narration, no plot, no words spoken to the crowd until after the urn is burned.  That's why I call it post-modern.  I love it. 

This year I decided to really dress up, and after I got sick I knew I wanted to go as something related to Grazelda.  I was really hoping and mostly expecting that she'd be gone by now, and that I'd march in celebration of her death.  Sadly, she is not yet departed, so I had to adjust my costume a little.  Kristi did my hair and back, Alison the VSer did my port decor, and I put eyeliner on my tummy scar to bring it out more; Fortunately, it's healing too well to be a proper parade accessory.

I got lots of compliments on my head.  As I suspected, Dia de Los Muertos is a great place to be a bald woman.  With all the costumes and makeup and surreal personages walking about, I fit right in.  Several people came up and asked about Grazelda.  I told them the truth, so they wouldn't think I had a deathwish for some unfortunately-named woman who had wronged me. 

It was a good evening.  Pulsing with energy and celebration (in the broad sense) of death.  In that setting, strangers talk to each other, take each others' pictures, and dance together to the drumming.  It was a great place for me to be.  And I hope that Grazelda burned up for good with the big urn. 

And now it is very late and I am very tired (the I've Been Up All Day And Am Sleepy kind, not the chemo-fatigue kind), so I will go to bed.