celebrating : el dia de los muertos

Saludos de Tepoztlan, Mexico. My mom brought me to this beautiful town for a little culinary vacation at La Villa Bonita and we’ve been fortunate to be here during Day of the Dead, a major cultural celebration that takes place throughout Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America (as well as in many homes in the United States, of course). Beginning around October 31st, families prepare to welcome the spirits of deceased family members back into the home for a brief visit. Day of the Dead is actually celebrated over two days, the 1st and 2nd of November. Although it may sound sad or even macabre to non-Latin sensibilities, it’s a very joyous occasion here in Mexico and I’ve been so delighted to learn more about it and to take part in the celebrations with our hosts. Here are several photos and a bit more information about this wonderful tradition.




Marigolds play a huge role in the Dia del los Muertos celebrations. They decorate doorways, altars (ofrendas), and graves and—perhaps most important—they’re used to create a pathway leading into the home, so the deceased souls can easily find their way back inside to enjoy the elaborate offering of food and entertainment the family has prepared for them. With our La Villa Bonita host, Chef Ana Garcia, we visited the market in Cuernavaca to buy masses of marigolds to create the many beautiful decorations and pathway shown above, as well as food and other decorations for her home and the ofrenda.


We helped Ana prepare the ofrenda, dedicated to her grandmother and great grandmother. The altar typically includes a cooked whole chicken, salt and water, pan de muertos (sweet bread, often baked in the shape of skulls and other figures), incense, candles, more marigolds and a photo of the deceased. It may also include any number of other items, often things that the deceased greatly enjoyed during their time in this world. For example, tequila is popular in ofrendas; for the spirit of Ana’s grandmother, we left her favorite cocktail ingredients: vodka and tonic. I love to imagine her strolling in along our golden path of marigolds and kicking back with a tall, cool glass of vodka tonic, taking in the beautiful vistas of Tepoztlan.

On the evening of November 1st, many Mexican families open the doors of their homes to anyone and everyone, offering hot beverages and treats and an opportunity to view the altars they’ve created for their loved ones. Ana and her husband Robb took us to nearby Ocotepec, where this tradition is particularly lively. There were lines around the block for many homes! We also took a dark walk through the cemetery, where some families had begun to clean and decorate the graves of their family members in preparation for the big celebration the following day.

We returned to Ocotepec the next morning to find the cemetery transformed into an explosion of color and festive activity, including live music and picnics at many grave sites. Even the humblest graves were tidy and festooned with bright flowers. Those who have died during the past year receive the most elaborate decorations (see Roberto’s, below). It was an amazing and undeniably upbeat scene... a real eye-opener for this gringo (gringa?!)






There have been many other incredible experiences on this trip, including lots of great food, of course! I’ll share more in my next post.

Hasta pronto!

..... betsy .....

celebrating: spooky entomology

My husband and I have hosted a party every October 31st for 7 years now. I love decorating in general, but I love Halloween decorations so much that, despite our lack of storage, I end up adding new ones every year! I especially love creating mood through lighting. Here’s what I just finished putting together for this year’s party.

Black light is the only source of illumination on these apothecary jars, which I’ve placed in our guest bathroom. They’re filled with spider webbing, glow sticks, plastic centipedes and tarantulas. I also did a third jar that contains bats! This project is a cinch to put together and the effects are positively spooktacular, don’t you think?

Happy Crawl-o-ween!

..... pam .....

celebrating: the smell of pumpkin

OK, so it’s another Halloween, and for the first time ever I got a serious jump on the pumpkin carving. I figured since this is my absolute favorite part about Halloween (this and the Butterfingers I sneak from time to time) I may as well do it twice. So my girls and I eagerly got busy carving, and these are the results. I know these will probably rot before Halloween so we are enjoying lighting them in our living room each evening. Can’t wait for pumpkin carving round two!

….. amy …..  

celebrating : my new orange teapot

Our blog has been a little higgledy-piggledy over the past year, as we’ve tried to come up with some sort of topic that would inspire us to write regularly and that might hold some small bit of interest for readers in this content-saturated webosphere. Then one day recently, up bubbled an idea we think just might do the trick.

So today I’m inaugurating our very first soon-to-be-somewhat-regular feature: “celebrating.” As you might have noticed, we have this thing about celebrations. “Celebrate every day,” we say. Yes, it’s a little pollyanna. But it’s a great exercise in looking on the bright side, if nothing else! From the momentous to the miniscule, from the absurd to the awe-inspiring, reasons to celebrate every day abound and we’re gonna talk about what we’re celebrating at random given moments. We might be talking to ourselves for now, but hey—that still counts for something. We hope one of these days our comments section will overflow and you’ll let us know what reasons you’re finding to celebrate every now and then... if not every day!

At this very moment, for example, I am head over heels (or should I say “handle over spout”?) in love with my new orange teapot. I like to brew up a big pot of tasty herbal tea every morning and keep it at my desk. It helps me down those innumerable recommended daily ounces of H2O. This design is so perky and the color is so cheerful, I can’t keep my hands off it. It’s keeping me hydrated and happy and that’s a little something worth celebrating.

..... betsy .....