A look at the skyline of Bare Hands Inc.’s Dia de los Muertos festival in its new venue – Cahaba Brewery this year. Murals of Spider Martin and Guillermo Castro are displayed at the start of the altar displays.
I’ve said this before – aside from my beloved Fiesta, Bare Hands Inc.’s Dia de los Muertos festival is one of my favorites of the year. Both just celebrated year 14 and both will celebrate their 15th – or Quinceanera – next year. For a festival to make it that long is impressive and this year was even more so for DOTD Alabama.
Early in the year, I heard the festival had been cancelled. They had lost their long time location due to some changes in the geographic region and had also gone through some leadership changes with the retirement of long time ED Wendy Jarvis and installation of new ED, Robert Hernandez. But like any organization with volunteers who have a passion for what they do – they persevered and several months into 2016, they decided the show would go on (as they say) and partnered with Cahaba Brewery to move the festival to Avondale.
Roll Call of the dead is a time honored tradition at the festival – as names are called, if family/friends are in attendance, they call out “present” in the audience…
And what a move! The festival drew over 6,000 people this year! As I was leaving at 8:30 I ran into Robert and Festival Director-Jennifer Gowers and their faces said it all… Jennifer grabbed me and said “where are all these people coming from?!” We looked at the entrance and people were still streaming in and the festival opened at 4 p.m. After a group hug, we talked about the incredible turnout and all the hard work it took to pull the event together in a shorter period of time. Incredible is the only word I could think of at that moment. Labor of love is the phrase I choose now.
Day of the Dead is not your ordinary festival, after all. It is a way for people to honor and celebrate the memory of loved ones who have left us. The altar installations and tributes are always very moving and I find myself lingering in front of several because of the unique ways in which people are honored and remembered. I met a young woman from Mexico who described in detail the altar that she and her family pulled together to honor her family. Every single item on that altar had a unique significance and as she pointed them out to me, along with the stories, I felt myself tearing up. What a tribute! What beautiful stories…and I was so appreciate that she was sharing these with me. But then again, that is what this festival is all about…sharing your family stories, sharing the stories of your friends and others you love and cherish so that they are always remembered…
A portion of the altar that had so many interesting details recounted to me by a family member. Very traditional…
That’s what Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos means…that’s what Robert, Jennifer and the rest of the board members and volunteers accomplished this past November 2nd. Viva la Vida!!!
Artist Julianna Jackson poses with her incredible headpiece in the DOD Market. The creations at her booth were exquisite!
Southern Señora 