Dia de los Muertos y Marigolds

Every year on the Sunday after Halloween, the predominantly Hispanic community of Albuquerque's South Valley neighborhood stages a parade celebrating Dia de los Muertos y Marigolds -- the Day of the Dead and Marigolds.  (Marigolds are the traditional flower used in the celebration; they are said to help guide the ancestral spirits on their annual visit to the land of the living.)

(And if you don't know much about the Day of the Dead, I encourage you to rent the movie "Coco" which was released a year ago.)

The South Valley parade features musical groups . . .

community groups, 

schools,

 low-rider automobiles, 

and more.  

The parade also has no shortage of expressions of social and political issues.

The most popular feature of the celebration -- and the one that is most fun for me as a photographer -- is face-painting, primarily to create the appearance of a skeleton head.  Some facial decorations are very simple . . .

while others are more elaborate.

And beyond face-painting and head decoration, many go all out with amazing costumes . . .

And of course there's always someone who marches to a different drummer . . .

It's a celebration of family and culture for the entire community.

If you would like to see these images and more in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.

Enjoy!