Well, Halloween is over and it’s time for La Dia de los Muertos. The Day of the Dead isn’t the same as Halloween. It was a harvest festival for the Aztecs, but the Catholic padres insisted on shoehorning it into the church calendar.

In conquering the new world, when the Church couldn’t eradicate a ‘pagan’ ritual they would co-opt it. Thus, La Dia de los Muertos is now celebrated the first 2 days in November. This coincides with All Souls and All Saints days.

The Mezoamericans didn’t fear death the way the Spaniards did. The Spaniards couldn’t wrap their brains around this concept. Of course if one isn’t afraid of death, then the Church loses a lot of its clout.

So, today and tomorrow, the celebrants of the Dia de los Muertos will welcome their dead ancestors back into their homes. Then they will venerate their graves. It’s a time to commune with those who have gone before.

When I was young the skulls and dancing happy skeletons of this celebration scared me. The whole concept freaked me out. How could the dead be our friends? As I grew older, I realized that there are spirits who may not necessarily guide us; but who might be there to commune with us, to hold our hands.

My house is filled with spirits. These are not wicked things. The only wicked things that exist walk the earth. Spirits can’t do that much harm, even if they wanted to.

*By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!
William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”, Act 4 scene 1