Celebrating life at Dia de los Muertos parade
For more than a decade I’ve attended Austin’s annual Day of the Dead parade, Viva la Vida, which this year took place on October 26. For newcomers, Day of the Dead is easily confused with Halloween because of all the skull imagery and skeleton face paint. But Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life and of loved ones who’ve passed away.
The traditional Mexican holiday, an autumn celebration beginning November 1st and ending November 2nd, includes homemade altars with favorite foods for departed family members, colorful marigolds and paper flowers, and joyful remembrances.
And joyful dancing!
Flounced skirts are held out like colorful wings as skeleton-faced dancers step and twirl on downtown streets.
Austin’s parade also celebrates Mexico’s rich cultural heritage. Elaborately feathered Aztec dancers, their faces painted like skulls, wheel and stomp to rhythmic drumming.
Watch the video with the sound on for the full effect of drums and trilling whoops.
There is a quieter beauty to the celebration as well, like this Queen of Hearts and young girl. Notice the girl’s hem, with a delicate design of hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs.
Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico at this time of year, and you’ll find them represented in the parade as well.
A beautifully costumed skeleton bride and groom elicited an appreciative ooh from my Italian exchange-student daughter, who attended the parade with me this year.
Here she is, looking festive herself in Day of the Dead makeup and costume!
Musicians playing live alternate with recorded music as dancers and floats pass by.
Skeleton rider and horse
Animal floats pedaled by hidden bicyclists are numerous too, including an armadillo…
…a flying owl…
…a bat giving a skeleton a ride…
…and more butterflies.
Oh, and a giant skeleton rattlesnake!
More indigenous dancers with beautiful headdresses
Many of the dancers wear seedpod rattles on their legs.
This magnificently attired woman wears a marigold-trimmed dress and broad-brimmed hat resembling a cake with lit candles.
Chihuahuas are regular parade-goers too.
Skeleton family with a goth edge
I got a kick out of seeing Austin’s famous Hi, How Are You frog mural rendered in Spanish: Hola, Como Esta.
Mexican revolutionaries
And a big-headed skeleton guy
Austin Samba dancers and drummers bring up the rear with infectious rhythm and smiles.
As we were leaving we stopped by the Mexic-Arte Museum to see a mural of an Aztec (?) archer. A man who’d been in the parade was standing there, serendipitously echoing the mural’s profile view.
The spectacular Tau Ceti mural, painted in all the colors of Day of the Dead celebrations, made a fitting backdrop to one last photo.
For more Day of the Dead parade photos, here are my posts from previous years:
- Dia de los Muertos in Austin, 2008
- Skeletons on parade: Day of the Dead 2010
- Flower-adorned skeletons at Dia de los Muertos parade, 2015
- Dia de los Muertos parade brightens Austin once again, 2016
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Digging Deeper
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Austin does the holiday up right! Your coverage of the parade is wonderful. I love those animal floats but the costumes and dancers were terrific too.
Thanks, Kris. I really enjoy this event, and this year it was extra fun because I wore a DOTD costume too.
Your photos were wonderful! The pushcart and bicycle creatures are so creative. I used to do a lot of community theater costuming, so I love seeing photos of people in costume. I also have a collection of talavera pots, and have considered buying a Caterina figurine to display with them. Love your daughter in her makeup, but I wish there was a photo of you too!
How interesting that you used to be involved with theater costuming, Alison! I did include a photo of me in makeup on my personal FB page. But it wasn’t nearly as good as our Italian student’s, so I only shared her photo here in my “official” post.
Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing, Pam! LOVE all the costumes and the owl and bat floats are striking. <3
Aren’t they fun? So creative!
All of those outfits, floats, musicians etc are incredible. I love all the color and pageantry.
I read someplace that the monarch butterflies are thought to be souls coming back to mexico. A nice thought.
That IS a lovely image, Lisa.
Thanks for the wonderful pictures!!!
My pleasure, Deb.
That bicycle owl blows me away. As does the quality of your exchange student’s first go at Day of the Dead makeup/costuming!
I love any and all monarch get-ups, but have now had my standards set to unreasonable levels by a picture from a Mexico City parade with a block-long phalanx of monarchs with gigantic wings — there must have been more than a hundred of them. Whoa.
That would be amazing. I saw a few pictures from the Mexico City parade too. Pretty incredible!
I’ve always been intrigued by The Day of the Dead celebrations, so this was especially delightful to me. I would sure enjoy the pageantry, the colors, the costumes, the music. Thanks for sharing it with me!
Robin, it’s such a lovely celebration, from the public parade to the private altars in people’s homes. I’ll have a blog post up today about a private display at Lucinda Hutson’s home and garden, so stay tuned for more.
[…] early November each year, Austin writer Lucinda Hutson celebrates Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday for remembering and honoring deceased loved ones. Decorating her Rosedale home […]