I have my husband to thank for bringing the celebration of “Day of the Dead” into my life. This is a tradition that he grew up with in Oaxaca and always brought a great deal of excitement into his family’s life. They are a family of bakers and during this time, they baked and sold many loaves of pan de muerto or “bread of death” which people would place on their altars honoring their relatives and friends who had died.
The Day of the Dead altar has now become a tradition in our family. During the process of setting up the altar each year, our family takes the time to reflect on those we’ve loved and lost. It’s not our intention to forget our loved ones, but busy lives often keep our minds on other things. As my husband says, “Everyone dies twice. The first time is when you physically die. The second time is when people forget you.”
Celebrating Day of the Dead keeps those we love from dying twice.
Here are some photos of this year’s celebration.
Allegro non tanto 
Awesome Thanks for your pictures. Such a marvelous cultural tradition. I showed my cleaning lady your pics she is from Oaxaca too. She promised to bring her pics next week.
Betty
Thank you for sharing this, Jessica. I’d been uncomfortable about this holiday, but as you (and your husband) explain it … I think I want to add this into my holiday plans for next year.