Long weekend begins

Bridge of Death? sounds grim, but bridge? is what Mexicans call a long weekend such as this one when The Day of the Dead falls on Monday. In other Catholic lands, Nov. 2 is All Souls Day, preceded by All Saint’s Day, which is preceded by All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween).

Traditionally, All Saint’s Day is a memorial day when families visit the graves of the departed and often erect altars to dead family members in the home, placing on the altars favorite foods to be consumed by these hungry ghosts. Hotels have been advertising Puente de Muertos packages, indicating that not everybody will be going out to the cemeteries. And now the festivities begin with Halloween, which has come on strong as globalization sets in.

By Jimm Budd