nice dia

I went with my friends Alan, Jon and Dino to the Dia de los Muertos celebration tonight at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican celebration on November 1 and 2. Why Hollywood Forever had theirs tonight, I have no idea. Traditionally, elaborate shrines are created featuring the favorite things, including even foods and drinks, photos, and items of a deceased person. The legend is that souls of those who have passed are easier to visit the living today, and the shrine is meant to encourage their visit. Hollywood Forever's celebration also featured concerts, food, and even turning the mausoleums into art galleries. Many people come in costume or at least in face paint. Granted, there was certainly something strange about a festival among headstones, but I suppose that's also somehow oddly appropriate.