Who says the costumed good times end with Halloween? Technically Dia de los Muertos has nothing to do with Halloween, but that didn’t stop people from dragging out their costumes one last time on November 2 to mingle with the bevy of skeletal faces at Self Help’s community Dia De Los Muertos celebration in East LA. Music, skeletons, art, $1 tamales and agua frescas collided in a true community celebration. According to this source:

The Day of the Dead is not a Mexican or indigenous version of Halloween. They have nothing to do with each other. Day of the Dead is about life and about death… about how we honor and how we remember the dead. Day of the Dead ceremonies were once part of a 20-day cycle that also recognized that the earth was about to go into repose.

Not one single dildo or pair of assless chaps in the house. Further, no sign of Abe Lincoln drinking Mai Tais, but that’s not saying he didn’t make an appearance and get his face painted all boney and deadlike for free, just like the girl in this photo. Word has it these two ladies watched an Atlanta Falcons game after the festival while the facepaint was still good to go.

On a personal note, I really enjoyed Wednesday’s festival. It managed to perfectly pair the strength of tradition with the warmth of a community celebration. No bacon-wrapped dogs, but I forgive.

Bonus Photo
A wall artist gets to work outside the stage