As part of Halloween this year, there were two major days to celebrate. One was the weekend before when 5 of our 6 housemembers road-tripped to San Diego where we spent the night in festivities with the JV house there. It was on this trip that I was told that my mask was "terrifying". I'd forgotten to cut a mouth, though there was one in marker, so I ditched the mask partway through the night. It was a fun event, full of exploring the beaches of San Diego, treating ourselves by going out to eat and just getting to know the San Diego girls who we'd met at orientation months ago. Seeing how they were growing in community was very interesting and they threw an awesome party.
Some of my casamates considered this the end of Halloween. But it's not over until it's over. One of IMPACTO's major celebrations through the year is the Haunted House on Halloween day and I was excited for it. From past years I had been told it would be a very stressful time and for the entire month I'd been fearing the stress that Halloween would bring. When the day came down to it, though, it went well. Not flawlessly, but well. After trick or treating at the beginning of the afternoon, it was nearly an hour before the Haunted House was up and running, a veritable exercise in patience with me being told "five more minutes" and then having to keep saying "soon" to a group of elementary kids. Then once it started I had the pleasure of going through 3 or 4 times with various groups of the elementary students, who more often than not clung tightly to one or both of my arms. Despite the kids who cried because they were so scared by the middle schoolers who were running the show, it was a thrilling event and went as smoothly as could be hoped.
Quickly on Halloween's tail, with a brief interlude for Christmas music thanks to one of my casamates who is obsessed with the December holiday, was Dia De los Muertos, day of the dead. Though I'd studied abroad in Venezuela, I'd never been in a place that celebrated this holiday. It was an eye opening experience. First off, I discovered to my surprise that, despite talking about the celebration and history behind it in IMPACTO, not all of the kids celebrated the holiday and when they were given a writing assignment about the holiday I had to pull some of their teeth to get them to write anything. Then there was the actual event, which included face painting, which left the kids with white faces looking like decorated skulls. Around 5:30 we met up with a procession of other people on their way to the big Dia De Los Muertos celebrations in the area, just a block or two from our house. The procession included gigantic skulls towering above the crowd, drums, and traditional Aztec dancers. After the procession, the staff, including myself, walked the kids home, munching on Halloween candy as we went.
This wasn't the end of the celebration, though, not by a long shot. The same night there was a poetry event at Homeboy, a gang reformation center. Because of the procession, I hadn't thought I'd be able to attend, but as luck would have it one of my roommates had her parents' car and gave me a ride to the event. It was a soul touching, healing experience, to hear these former gangmembers speak about love, life, and death. All the while, in our midst was an altar decorated for Dia De Los Muertos to remember the dead.
At the end of the night, a group of us returned to the large celebration a few blocks down. We browsed through the vendors' collections, most of which were artwork and t-shirts decorated with skulls. There was great Mexican food and a live band. Then there were the altars inside. The artwork was indescribable and I only managed to get a few pictures, but even then felt as though I were photographing a cemetery or a tomb. When all was said and done, it was a powerful week and seeing the two traditions so close to each other was particularly moving. It was an October/November week to remember.
