It has always been a dream of mine to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico. But I never truly realized what the celebration was all about until I experienced it firsthand in Oaxaca.
Day of the Dead is a celebration of life and death. Families build altars called ofrendas that contain photos of lost loved ones. The ofrendas honor the deceased by displaying their favorite foods, memories, and things they loved during their lifetime.
The altars are often adorned with vibrant yellow flowers called calaveras that invite the dead to visit their families during the holiday and enjoy the offerings left for them.
On this day, the dead are honored, remembered, and celebrated.
In doing so, they are never truly gone. We carry them in our hearts and in our memories and in our stories. And in this way, they live forever ✨
🌼🌼🌼🌼💀🌼🌼🌼🌼
I know one day my time will come. That life as I know it will cease to be. And that I will bid the living farewell.
Knowing that motivates me to live life to the fullest. And it also inspires me to share with you what I have learned.
And by doing so, I hope to leave a piece of me behind that can live on in some way in your heart, in your mind, and in your memory.
So thank you, Mexico, for reminding me of the importance to live life to the fullest. And thank you to those whose time has ended, but have left behind something for us to remember.
Nothing lasts forever, but know that you are never truly gone ✨
It would be wonderful if this tradition is true, and that those who we have lost will always remember how much they truly meant to us.
But if our final breaths are truly our last, we should celebrate those we care about while they are still living. Tell them how much you care and how much they mean to you.
And may each of your days be filled with love and admiration, and may you be celebrated in life and remembered long after you are gone.
🌼🌼🌼🌼💀🌼🌼🌼🌼