Photography Credit: @yoelphotostudio.1
From October 31st- November 3rd, a celebration of Dia de los Muertos was held in Seattle, Washington titled “Seattle Catrinas Festival” at the Town Hall in the downtown area. The festival covered 4 days of festivities and included numerous activities such as face painting by makeup artists from Maritza’s Beauty College, Mexican folklore dance, clothing, food vendors, and numerous Catrinas dressed in beautiful garments strolling through the festival. The festival featured vibrant colorful altars, decor, and striking photos of Mexican Catrina models showcasing the holiday and its representation at its fullest. The Calavera Catrina itself can be traced back to Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada who is known for his work as a lithographer, engraver, and cartoonist in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Posada drew many images of skulls which were often used in political cartoon satire and also incorporated into local newspapers as imagery depicting tragedies or other current events at the time.
Today, his most popular drawing of the Calavera is used as the official image associated with the Day of the Dead. At Seattle’s festival, around 100 Calavera Catrinas wearing elaborate and colorful face paint banded together toward the end of the night while holding candles during the folklore song “La Llorona.” It was quite a beautiful scene as they paraded through the backstreet behind an enlargement of the Mexican flag. The festival was most definitely the best representation of Dia de los Muertos in the city with many families coming out to celebrate the holiday. As we celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on the loved ones we have lost and pay tribute and remembrance to them.
