Getting Ready for Dia de los Muertos

The Monkey Family will be throwing a huge Dia de los Muertos bash this weekend!  We used to throw these parties annually, but the last one we threw was three years ago, while The Girl was still in my belly.  I cannot believe I managed to throw this party while pregnant because it is a lot of work!  And I’m not even cooking all the food myself this year, as I have in years past.  We are celebrating potluck style this year, which requires a huge leap of faith on my part.  I’m not even going to go into the details of how I can be a bit of a control freak when it comes to the food for a party.  But our celebration and guest list has grown so much that I cannot possibly buy and prepare all of the food required to feed sixty people.  So I must have faith in the process.

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated predominantly in Mexico and has evolved from an ancient Aztec festival.  Rather than being a somber occasion, it is a celebration of the lives of those who have come before us.  Traditionally, a feast is prepared, and an ofrenda, or altar, is built to honor the dead. It is believed that on this day, the spirits of the dead return to the earth for a visit! I believe it is important to remember the generations that have come before me, making my life possible.  And I hope someday someone will celebrate my life and memory on Dia de los Muertos!

As far as the party is concerned, I still have plenty to do.  Gather buffet supplies, get decorations ready, and finish the piñata and sugar skulls.  I’m in good shape now, and I just have a few last minute things to do. The paint on the piñata is drying as I type this, and the housecleaning will have to wait until tomorrow.  (And do I really need to clean the house before a party when it’s just going to get messed up anyway?)

I’ll be back next week to share images from the party, but for now I wanted to share the outfits I made for the kids to wear.  I had some scraps of muertos fabric from a skirt I made years ago, so I made a shirt for The Boy, and a skirt for The Girl.  I’m pleased to report that I had only tiny slivers of fabric remaining.  Love that fabric stash!

My only regret is that I did not have enough fabric for a similar skirt for me.  Also, I might be about thirty years too old for a skirt like that.