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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 15, 2012 5:04:13 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 15, 2012 5:12:50 GMT
Let's look around a little bit in the fading light before going under the arches ~Taken through a glass, smearily ~Many people will wait until tomorrow to decorate & visit their graves, so let's go check out under the arches ~A tv show is being broadcast ~
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Post by lola on Nov 15, 2012 5:22:17 GMT
And yet again, wow. The visual energy. The creativity. Thank you for bringing us there, Bixa.
I had lots of orange marigolds until yesterday, when the frost finally got them.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 15, 2012 5:32:13 GMT
A peek outside the arches ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 15, 2012 5:47:53 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 15, 2012 5:55:43 GMT
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Post by mossie on Nov 15, 2012 8:26:07 GMT
WOW! Thanks again Bixa. I loved the grave showing the couple with the lady in a bell skirt ;D
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 16, 2012 7:10:37 GMT
Thank you, Mossie. I appreciate a well-dressed skeleton myself!
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Post by nycgirl on Nov 16, 2012 19:03:55 GMT
Wonderful, Bixa! You captured a lot of eerily beautiful images. I'm going to enjoy revisiting this thread often. By the way, I took that Mexico quiz and found it really hard. I got 61 %. I came across a blog post today that showed a few photos of the Day of the Dead in San Francisco. Thought they might interest you.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 16, 2012 21:07:33 GMT
It's late afternoon, All Saints Day 2012. Shall we proceed?The ruined chapel in the middle of the graveyard is unattended. My chance to go under the chain ~Finally getting a picture of the monument to the forgotten dead ~The nice cemetery worker catches me & tells me to get out of there, explaining that it's dangerous. Looking at this picture, it would seem he wasn't exaggerating ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 16, 2012 21:19:30 GMT
Well, fine ~~ it's not as though there isn't plenty to see outside of the chapel area ~Oo-oooo, look! The dead are coming in for a landing!
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 16, 2012 21:36:53 GMT
It's time for me to go outside the cemetery to seek sustenance. It's still too early for very many customers, although the vendors are ready for them ~There was an ancient, almost deaf man who'd parked himself in a chair well out into the strolling area between the food stands. He was tending these two dogs, who did excellent impressions of playing dead. The sign says, "Help out for my food."There is nothing, absolutely nothing like wandering around a graveyard in the gathering gloom to give a person an appetite for meat ~Are these real, live humans, or some wayward dead trying for a little live action?A last glimpse of brightness before plunging back into the land of the dead ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 16, 2012 23:02:17 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 16:27:27 GMT
The night shots are great. This report just keeps getting more and more colourful, doesn't it. It's nice to know that even the forgotten dead are provided with bread and beer.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 17, 2012 17:50:48 GMT
Thanks, Kerouac. I think we may have shocked the dead. The lights on the ruin went out & it got really dark. One of the purposes of this mission was to see what our cameras could do. There was lots of hissing back & forth a la, "Well, I triiiiied that already!", plus cursing as we stumbled over the lumpy ground.
NYCGirl! Here is another quiz for you: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bixa did not answer NYCGirl's nice post because she is:
a) a rude bimbo who does not deserve to be a forum with a lovely person such as NYCGirl. - or - b) she honestly did not see the post, is mortified that she didn't, & now that she has, deeply appreciates it & the thoughtfulness of NYCGirl's inclusion of a link. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That Mexico quiz was hard! I don't know what my score was, but I know I answered 5 or 6 wrong.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 18:08:35 GMT
The transition from the brilliance and vibrancy of the daytime into the evening/night shots is fabulous. The dog shots were a wee creepy but, in their own way, add to the overall collective adherence to this revered holiday. (Once I realized they were alive....) There's nothing even remotely contrived or cheesy like Mardi Gras or Halloween have become, despite some 'commercial' aspects, they stay within certain bounds somehow.
I never tire of seeing candle light and flower petals, no matter what the context, and, you really captured it all so beautifully Bixa along with everything else. Having been there for this holiday I know more of it than most viewing this but, it in no way diminishes my overall enthusiasm for it. Thanks again for the enormous effort you put into this thread. I know it was a lot of work and carefully crafted.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 17, 2012 18:37:52 GMT
Bixa, you wrote this above the photo:"Riches: whole squash pierced and infused with syrup, glowing under an orange tarp" ~ I recognise the squash as we have them here sometimes. When you get the opportunity, PLEASE won't you find out how they do that? I think it could be quite delicious. Have you tried squash that way? Still cruising your photos and noticing something different that catches my eye, everytime Super super unusual stuff!
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Post by htmb on Nov 17, 2012 18:43:26 GMT
The night shots are great. This report just keeps getting more and more colourful, doesn't it. It's nice to know that even the forgotten dead are provided with bread and beer. And cigarettes, too!
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Post by mich64 on Nov 17, 2012 19:08:26 GMT
The photos of the arches with the candle light are lovely Bixa.
Your nights shots are fabulous!
Is this the most celebrated time of the year?
There are so many food choices on some of the tables, it would be difficult to make a choice. I assume you bring a few things home with you.
You really presented a wonderful essay Bixa.
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Post by mossie on Nov 17, 2012 19:37:15 GMT
I cannot praise you enough for this, it is far more than an essay. And if you were having trouble with Ph***f***it, absolutely top marks.
Whoever gave that gravestone a cigarette must have earned somebodys undying thanks.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 17, 2012 20:18:45 GMT
Hey, y'all ~~ the fat lady ain't sang yet! ;D Nope, we have miles to go before we R.I.P. I never tire of seeing candle light and flower petals That's good, Casimira, as you will be cross-eyed with the sight of them by the time I finish this thread. Thanks so much for the kind comments. Also, for the very cogent remark about how this holiday somehow avoids the commercial frenzy & trivialization that have tarnished other great traditional holidays. "they stay within certain bounds somehow" ~~ perfectly put! Bixa, you wrote this above the photo:"Riches: whole squash pierced and infused with syrup, glowing under an orange tarp" ~ I recognise the squash as we have them here sometimes. When you get the opportunity, PLEASE won't you find out how they do that? I think it could be quite delicious. Have you tried squash that way? Tod, your warm encouragement has me glowing as well! Yes, I love squash fixed that way. I checked with some neighbors, & no one could figure out exactly how the pierced squash were cooked. I think they must have done them the same as the regular way (w/the squash cut in pieces), but with a very deep pot so that the syrup could penetrate the holes. You'd need something like a very sturdy apple corer, I'd think, & enough holes to really get the inside saturated. Here is a recipe from a reliable source. Don't get hung up on the hot milk or reheating part. It's much more common to see it offered plain, at room temperature. There are so many food choices on some of the tables, it would be difficult to make a choice. I assume you bring a few things home with you. More thanks to you, Mich ~~ I bask in your praise! The food on the altars is not for us the living. However, all that stuff is served throughout the holiday to the living as well. My neighbors treated me quite well, & I'll have pics of that later, too. Whoever gave that gravestone a cigarette must have earned somebodys undying thanks. Thank you for your lovely compliments, Mossie. I feel all of us here at AnyPort do a great job of covering our chosen topics. Certainly I am inspired by the work of the rest of you. And gosh YES, on the cigarette. That poor soul likely hasn't had one since last year at this time, if someone remembered.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 18, 2012 5:38:42 GMT
Ready? Here we go again ~~
People were lined up to be immortalized in front of this very ugly, but undeniably unique grave marker.One of the gates to the outside ~That man was probably waiting for the bread and chocolate to be served, as were we. The set-up looks rough and ready, but they did a swift and amazing job of serving hundreds of people.Fortified, we wander back out into the cemetery ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 18, 2012 5:43:55 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 18, 2012 5:53:50 GMT
It's time to leave this place ~Almost to the gate, we run into these well-rounded skeletons ~A last glance around as we go through the arches ~Whew! There are tons of people arriving as we early birds depart ~Okay ~~ now onward back to Jalatlaco ............
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 18, 2012 6:44:55 GMT
Boy, for a place so deserted earlier this afternoon, it's hopping now!This was a friendly duo, particularly the guy on the left, who was good-natured about my yelling right in his face, "That is so cool! How did you do that to your eyes?!""This is my friend posing in front of the Eiffel Tower" ... "This is my friend in front of the Lincoln Memorial" ... "This is my friend at the Great Pyramid" ... "This is my friend blocking the view of a killer costume" ... A group parading with a band ~And that's it for All Saints Day, 2012, but NOT for this thread. ;D
There is some aftermath to show, so stay tuned tomorrow, when I finally get this thing wrapped up.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2012 2:13:20 GMT
Is this the most celebrated time of the year? I see I failed to answer this important question. Sorry, Mich. Yes, I would say it's the most observed holiday, at least that I can see, in terms of really honoring the meaning behind it. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is also celebrated in the sense that people are traveling, there's time off from work and school, many people return to their home towns then. It seems that Muertos is also a time that people go back home if they're able. Now, in thread time, it's November 2, All Souls Day. There was no venturing out take pictures, but since I was invited to a wonderful lunch, I got shots of my hostesses' altar.In the yard, outside that bright doorway and all the way to the driveway gates, is the path for the faithful departed to find their altar ~Another neighbor's house, another altar ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2012 2:38:29 GMT
Zipping right along, we arrive at November 4. Although Muertos is over, when Darla & Harley & I take a stroll into town (Xoxo), we find that decorations are still up and fresh looking.
The pavilion where the sand paintings are shown still has some on display ~I'm not the only art lover in the pavilion.Darla & Harley are patiently waiting for the treat they've been promised, but first we have another visit to make. I covered the old Xoxo cemetery in last year's thread about Day of the Dead, but went at night. I later showed the aftermath there towards the end of November. Now I want a look at it in the daytime, while the flowers from Day of the Dead are still fresh.
We'll start with two shots right inside the gate, views shown in the earlier threads ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2012 2:42:48 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 19, 2012 2:52:22 GMT
On our way to the treat place, we pass the town square, with a monster sand painting ~I couldn't make heads nor tails of it!Speaking of tails, here are some little wagging ones wondering if it's ice cream time yet ~Look at all the happy people, dancing on the lawn ~Just a quick look at the altar on the municipal building porch, then ice cream & home ~And later that evening, a neighbor returning from her trip home for the holiday gives me a bag of altar goodies. A lovely end to a lovely festival. Thanks to all of you who stayed with me this far.
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Post by mossie on Nov 19, 2012 8:20:41 GMT
Thanks so much for your hard work and patience, not to mention your struggles with photobucket, to bring this all to us. As a straitlaced Englishman I was completely unaware of this ceremony, and of the great lengths people will go to in honouring their loved ones.
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