El Día de los Muertos

El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration, is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. On this day in Mexico, the streets near the cemeteries are filled with decorations of papel picado , flowers, candy calaveras (skeletons and skulls), and parades.
It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on October 31 and leave on November 2.

In order to celebrate, the families make altars and place ofrendas (offerings) of food such as pan de muertos baked in shapes of skulls and figures, candles, incense, yellow marigolds known as cempazuchitl (also spelled zempasuchil) and most importantly a photo of the departed soul is placed on the altar.

It might sound somewhat morbid, but the Mexicans react to death with mourning along with happiness and joy. They look at death with the same fear as any other culture, but there is a difference. They reflect their fear by mocking and living alongside death.

Living alongside death means that Mexicans have to learned to accept it within their lives. Death is apparent in everyday life. It is in art and even in children's toys. It is not respected as it is in other cultures. Children play "funeral" with toys that are made to represent coffins and undertakers.

Death is laughed at in its face. Many euphemisms are used for death, La calaca (the skeleton), la pelona ("baldy"), la flaca ("skinny"), and la huesada ("bony"). There are refranes, sayings, and poems that are popular with day of the dead. These sayings are cliches and lose meaning when translated. For example "La muerte es flaca y no puede conmigo" means "Death is skinny/weak and she can't carry me." Calaveras (skulls) are decorated with bright colors with the name of the departed inscribed on the head. Children carrying yellow marigolds enjoy the processions to the cemetery. At the cemetery, music is played and dances are made to honor the spirits.

Death is a celebration in Mexico. Death is among them.

Joy! Joy! Joy!

Today is November, 2008 Theme Day: Books! Bookstores play special attention to photographers. Check the shelves to find a book that improves your technique! Click on the small photo to see the wide array of books on photography in this section of my bookstore.

Visit as many bloggers as you can listed below, bearing in mind the time zone differences...Don't forget anyone!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Recycling is good!

I used this last year and it's too good not to use it again. I'm doing my bit for humanity: reduce, reuse, recycle! Happy Halloween!!

What is it?

This obviously is (or was) a common farm tool. I cannot identify it because I've spent my life in urban areas, and I'm ignorant of its purpose. Who can identify its role in life?

Another Mural

I found another mural downtown, with a bit of graffiti included if you look closely. On its left side it features a landmark cafe, Mickey's Diner. According to the Minnesota Historical Society: Mickey's Diner has been serving breakfast to Minnesotans for more than 60 years. The only known dining car of its type to survive in Minnesota, it was prefabricated in New Jersey, shipped to St. Paul by rail and installed in the heart of downtown. Despite the proliferation in recent years of fast-food chains and franchised restaurants, the diner remains a successful business, in part due to its unique atmosphere.

Inspired by streamlined railroad dining cars, Mickey’s sports a symmetrical facade clad with yellow and red porcelain steel panels, a horizontal band of plate glass windows and a projecting neon sign with Art Deco lettering. The interior of the diner features stainless steel, mahogany and mirrored fixtures. A glass vestibule, added when the diner was installed, protects patrons from harsh Minnesota winters.

Favre

I think that both Favre and the Packers made a big mistake this season. Why isn't No. 4 in Green Bay instead of New York with the Jets? Can't help myself. I know it's a brutal game, but, heck, I grew up in Green Bay. What do you expect?!

Hollywood Music Classics

Sunday afternoon we were treated to an hour and a half of "Hollywood Music Classics" by the Inver Hills Community Band and the Temple of Aaron Adult Choir and Soloists. The photo is of the musical director and trumpet soloist. Some of the medleys included themes from Star Wars Epic, Hollywood Milestones, (Jaws, Love Story, E.T. and others), Shindler's List, Porgy and Bess, Titanic, James Bond Suite, Fiddler on the Roof, and closing with a stirring rendition of "God Bless America" by performers and audience alike. Despite being an urban dweller, I sometimes yearn to live in a small community because this performance reminded me of towns where an event like this would have been an important social event. I miss the sense of small, close communities.

Early Halloween

Merchants in our fair city have annually opened their doors to costumed trick or treaters the week-end before Halloween. A supermarket in my neighborhood is a favorite stop because of the costumed adults handing out the goodies and the high quality of the treats. For several hours on Saturday the street was filled with goblins, princesses, pirates, monsters and other imaginative creatures!

Autumn in St Paul

Trees are a many splendored thing!!

Sculpture as Memorial

This sculpture by a faulty member in the art department is a tribute to one of the students who died tragically in an automobile accident several years ago. He had been a "lifer"--someone who had started his academic career in the school many years before as a kindergartener, and he was a boy who was known and enjoyed by all of his classmates. I had known him since he had been a small boy, and because he also was the son of one of my colleagues, his death was particularly poignant.

Light Up!

Halloween skulls light up a lawn, getting ready for the tricks or treaters. Only 10 more days.

Student Art #4

This is just one panel of a long, rectangular painting of 4 or 5 panels. I'll go back and photograph more.

Student Art #3

This portrait is quite a bit different than some of the previous pieces of art that I've posted. I'd love to be as talented as this artist.

Student Art-#2

Yesterday I posted library books with student art displayed in the same area. It occurred to me that students' art would make a great theme. For the next few days, I'll post student artwork in the school where I formerly taught in the literature department. This photo is just a small portion of a library mural. The smaller photo puts it in perspective so you can see the entire wall. Would you believe that faculty members posed for the human figures in this Garden of Eden?!

Practicing

Recently I spent a few days substituting at my former school, an activity which I don't do often anymore altho I still miss my colleagues and the students. I wandered to the library to get some ideas for the November theme day, but nothing unique really stands out...yet. Take a look at the art work on the top shelf; the paintings and pots are all students' work. The school has a fantastic art department, and students' work at all levels (6th thru 12th grades) are proudly posted all over the school: classrooms, meeting rooms, lounges, offices, and halls plus the formal gallery. I probably should spend more time photographing and using art for my own photo theme instead!

Untitled

This statue very recently was placed in the courtyard of St. Paul Academy-Summit School, where I taught in the English Department for 30 years before I retired in 2003. It was donated by one of the school's families, and, because it is so new, there is still no plaque to identify it. Without clear identification, it is still a beautiful piece.

Murals and Statues

If you keep your eyes open, a walk in downtown St. Paul will reveal many different forms of art. I saw a mural that caught my eye because it showed Rice Park with two statues that I have posted before. Look carefully and you'll see the statues of F.Scott Fitzgerald and the Source, a beautiful Indian young woman. Both figures are important aspects of St. Paul history. Isn't art wonderful?!

Halloween Fun!

Adults can have Halloween fun, too. This delightful decoration is on the front lawn of a neighbor's home where NO childen reside. Doesn't seem to stop any of us from decorating to please the munchins who come to our door every year, begging for goodies.

Mesoamerican Art

On Saturday night, my DH, another couple and I went to the annual fall Art Crawl. I saw this big wall painting with other large colourful artwork in a studio that appeared to symbolize Mexican historical culture. The artist revealed to me that he is Mexican and paints aspects of his cultural heritage, but because of time limitations as he spoke with other patrons, I wasn't able to engage him further, I picked up one of his business cards and learned the history of the artist Ernesto (Neto) Ybarra, "who was born on the westside of St. Paul of Mexican parents and raised under the watchful eye of his Abuela Martinez. The majority of Neto’s paintings often prideful in size, attempts to capture the colors of Mexico and speak of Mesoamerica and the continuing ideals of Mexican cultures and indigenous peoples of the Americas. Neto has two children, he refers to them as his Sun and his Moon. He continues to live, paint, and otherwise work on the westside [of St. Paul]." Go to this website to see a gallery of his paintings.

Cast Iron Turbine: Weight 15 Tons (1924-1994)

This 15 ton cast iron turbine has a rotation speed of 100 RPM's, 4,500 horsepower. This is one of 4 turbines Ford Motor Company installed in 1924 at the hydro electric plant on the Mississippi in St. Paul. The turbines were replaced between 1992-1994 after 70 years of service. This one water-driven turbine produced 1,341,776,000 kilowatt hours (KWB) of electricity in its lifetime. This offset the burning of 286,000 tons of coal and avoided 470,000 pounds of particulates, 4,589,000 pounds of sulphur dioxide and 5,340,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide (Information taken from plaque on the turbine).