THIS WEEKEND: Dia de los Muertos

With all the fuss over Halloween I was pleased to learn that Elote will be celebrating the fabulous holiday also known as the Day of The Dead in grand style with $3.00 shots, $4.00 margaritas (!) and a costume contest!

What’s more, the bearer of the winning costume* gets a free bottle of tequila!

For those of you who are not in the know, here’s what Wikipedia has to say about this very popular Latin American holiday:

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day which take place on those days. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Observance of the holiday in Mexican-American communities in the United States has become more important and widespread as the community grows numerically and economically.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl (known in English as “The Lady of the Dead”)…

Many people believe that during the Day of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living. People will go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and will build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, and photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Plans for the festival are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the period of November 1 and November 2, families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas, or offerings, which often include orange marigolds called “cempasúchitl” (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for “twenty (i.e., many) flowers”). In modern Mexico this name is often replaced with the term “Flor de Muerto” (“Flower of the Dead”). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.

For the rest of us who are very much among the living, here are the deets regarding Elote’s upcoming event.

Day of the Dead Party
November 1, 2008, 10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.
Elote
366 Union Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11211

Miss Heather

*An undead Sarah Palin would be nice!

Audience Participation Time: Dress Sal Up With Your Love!

Whenever the weather was dreary (like today) my mother always made sure I had plenty of activities to keep me busy. She learned pretty early on this was a good policy as otherwise I would find ways to keep myself entertained —most of which were highly amusing but nonetheless destructive. Dumping sand from a jade plant into my parent’s water bed in the wee hours of the morning and raiding their spice cabinet and proceeding to dump the contents into a pile in the middle of my bedroom floor, I have been told, were a couple of my feats as a toddler. To this day she doesn’t know how the hell I pulled off the latter— and neither do I for that matter.

Anyhoo, I’ve been whiling away this craptastic afternoon by working on a little project. Which brings me to this.

Ever since I learned the good news about Sal a week ago I simply cannot get him off my mind. I really want to meet this chap —if for no other reason to meet the man “behind the mask” and give him a few wardrobe pointers. Alas, I doubt this will ever happen. So I have (with a little help from the Internets) created my own Sal.

What do you want Sal to wear and where? Do download/print the above jpg, modify as necessary and return it to me at missheather (at) newyorkshitty (dot) com. or better yet dump it in my photo pool. It’s a lot more fun than working and besides, I’d love to see what you all come up with! Now if you don’t mind off in search of a pair of bunny ears.

Miss Heather

Halloween Photos du Jour: East Williamsburg

From Devoe Street.

From Lorimer Street.

This post goes out to a man named Nicola. Had I not spied him shooting photographs of the above morsel of goodness I would have missed it. Thanks!

Miss Heather

Williamsburg Photos du Jour: NOV 4

From North 11th Street.

Miss Heather