Jewel House Kitchen: Dia de los muertos

For some reason I felt hesitant about putting this post up. I guess because it's not about food or cooking and it seemed a little silly and self centered. I've been questioning my reasons for having this blog...who is it for? What is it's purpose? What makes a post good? Or not so good? What do people like to read best? I'd like to post a lot more often than I do, but seem to get bogged down in deciding what is actually worthy of putting up here.

So I decided today to give myself permission to anything that I want with this blog. It's all about me! Anyone who wants to look on is more than welcome but from now on I am choosing to stop caring so much about what people will think and just write for myself, share whatever I feel like sharing. Make posts that are long, short, boring, fascinating, wordy, wordless, beautiful, ugly... and everything in between. I mean c'mon Julia! It doesn't really matter! Have fun! So here goes...

My Dia de los Muertos altar

They say the veil is thin this time of year, that we can feel with intensity the presence of the other sides and of those who came before us. It is the perfect time to think about death. To embrace it. Not to fear but to love this right of passage that each of us shall take. To honor those we love who have gone from this life.

I have so much fun with costuming that I am inspired to do more! On Halloween weekend I was in an exquisite Dia de los Muertos parade with everyone dressed in their finest calavera face paint and wicked garb. The creativity was inspiring! We danced through the streets of east Austin behind an incredible brass band before ending at Tillery park where there were altars of candles, pictures, pan de muerto, flowers, persimmons, skulls, and lace. I loved embodying the dead through this celebration, interacting with the darkness out in the open with love, colors, happiness, and sadness together.