Monday, November 04, 2013

Dia de Los Dodgers

One of my favorite things to do each year is to attend the Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. For those of you unfamiliar, Dia de Los Muertos is a time for family and friends to remember and honor friends and family members who have died. The mood is festive, not somber, however, and there are some great traditions associated with the celebration, including building private altars ("ofrendas") honoring the deceased. The ofrendas feature sugar skulls, marigolds, the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and favorite or symbolic possessions of the deceased.

Yesterday I again found myself wandering through Hollywood Forever Cemetery, fresh off some terrific street tacos and a coupla Negra Modelos. The altars this year were nothing short of amazing. They seem to get more creative each year. But one thing that struck Mrs. Dusty and me was how many of them prominently featured Dodger-related pictures, clothing, and other items. Caps, bobbleheads, pictures of lost loved ones at Dodger Stadium, flags and pennants, blankets, t-shirts, baseball cards, you name it. Which made me to realize what a huge influence the Dodgers have throughout the greater Los Angeles community. Clearly, supporting the Dodgers is a big part of many people's lives, binding families and friends together with a sense of regional and community pride. To process death, I suppose, we seek to remember that which bound us together in life, thus the prominent Dodgers theme as expressed through memorabilia.

With that in mind, I present some images I captured as I helped honor the lives of those being celebrated. Rest in Blue.











9 comments:

Fred's Brim said...

Good stuff, Dusty!

Steve Sax said...

These are awesome pictures Dusty!

spank said...

Very nice,White Chocolate. i dig that all kinds of people celebrate the Mexican traditions that are not Cinco de Mayo.

Hideo Nomo said...

Boom. Deadspun.

Orel said...

Excellent stuff, Dusty!

Rob said...

That is a hundred and sixteen different kinds of awesome. (I may be slightly off on that count. Don't hold me to it.) Good pull, fellas.

Unknown said...

Awesome! I love Dia De Los Muertos.

Steve Sax said...

Dusty: picked up on mlb.com/s cut4, as well. NICE!

(sidebar updated)

BJ Killeen said...

Impressive, D...nice job!