Día de los Muertos

GG's editor has always wanted to travel to Mexico for the Day of the Dead. Alas, not this year (again). But we will be visiting the always-interesting Mexican Cultural Institute (in Washington, DC) to see the Day of the Dead altar before 23 November. Visit virtually & read all about it. Also, the Mexican Sugar Skull site is comprehensive & a lot of fun for kids of all ages. Day of the Dead is a terrific site, too with celebration, history, & activities.

Now, for the most fun - even Giulia looked up. Visit the interactive Smithsonian's Latino Center Day of the Dead & build your own altar. There are history lessons, a teacher's link, glossary, everything you need. Very cool. The Frida Kahlo (they are separate) images are by Frances Perea & are for sale on Redbubble. She has posters, prints, cards & postcards for sale, here.

ciao-meow/GGCM

(Frida Kahlo prints by Frances Perea; Day of the Dead altar by Steve Bridger)

She Moved Through the Fair

It's not a St. Patrick's Day song but it's one of our favorite traditional Irish songs. This last minute idea on a crazy busy day comes from The Clever Pup's post with a Van Morrison song. (Thanks, Pup!) We have about 10 versions of Fair & love them all (including Van's). But the one we just played is Sinéad O'Connor's from Long Black Veil by The Chieftains (with guests). Here's a link to a performance on YouTube from a festival in 1997. We can't vouch for it as we have dial-up... but just in case you want to hear one version. Give us chills. (Note: Swans are often a symbol of death in Celtic myth...)

Update: well, blast. No time to look for fabulous vintage photograph or drawing of an Irish festival. The one in our mind is just too complex for us to draw. So here is the 1997 video (the cookie is disabled unless you click on the video to play). We could hear some of it & it's lovely.

ciao-craic-meow
GG/mgmt

She Moved Through the Fair (trad.)

My young love said to me "my mother won't mind
And my father won't slight you for your lack of kind"
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
"Oh it will not be long, love, till our wedding day"

Then she went away from me and she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her move here and move there
And then she went onward, just one star awake
Like the swan in the evening moves over the lake

Last night she came to me, my dead love came in
So softly she came, her feet made no din
And she laid her hand on me and this she did say
"Oh it will not be long, love, till our wedding day."