Not really sure what's up with these singing skeletons, but they are up at Disneyland as part of the Day of the Dead display outside of the Rancho del Zocalo Mexican Restaurant at Disneyland. Here in So Cal, because we have such a sizable Mexican population the Dia de los Muertos celebrations are very common.
Having grown up going to Catholic school though, this day, November 1st is what we used to call All Saints Day. I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore, but back in the day, this was A Holy Day of Obligation. (doesn't that sound ominous?)
But really, all it meant to us was that we Catholic-school trick-or-treaters were out of school on November 1st and got to sleep off the sugar-coma as long as we made it to mass by noon, much to the great sadness of our public school counterparts who had to drag their weary carcasses to school the day after Halloween, but that's not important right now.
Either way – Day of the Dead or All Saints Day – the idea is to pray for and remember those who have died. Again, Not to be irreverent or anything, but I could never really get behind praying for people who have already died. Hello??
Although, after our consumption of so much food and sugar yesterday, we're feeling sort of like those skeletons in the photo above.
Only not as lively. And without instruments or colorful sombreros.
Ay Dios mio. 😉
I am Catholic and now “All Saints Day” is not a Holy Day of Obligation.
Janet,Good information to have, but the more important question – if it’s no longer a Holy Day of Obligation, then if November 1st landed on a school day, would Catholic school kids get the day off?? =D
Ahem, November 1st is a date for something else.All Saints’ Day is a holy day of obligation unless it falls on a Saturday or Monday (Assumption and Solemnity of Mary, too).
It sure sucked going to public college after 12 years of having off on my birthday in Catholic school!