With the large Mexican and Mexican-American population in Los Angeles, the celebration of Dia de los Muertos has grown year after year. Traditionally it is November 1–All Saint’s Day or All Hallows Day–when families honor the dead by leaving food and flowers on the graves of family members.
In another culture–the European-American one–the celebration is on All Hallows Evening, or as it has become known, Halloween, when the ghosts of the dead arise and grave sites are to be avoided. And, of course, children go trick-or-treating and are in sugar buzzes for days. These two celebrations have reached a gigantic mashup in Los Angeles with festivities and events going on for days
Anyway…this year I intended to take photos of the family altars in the Plaza by Olvera Street–which I did and you can see below. I also dashed into Macys downtown where much to my surprise the entire staff of the cosmetics department were dressed and painted for Halloween.
Cate, the New Vampire in Town
In two short novels I wrote the main character, Cate the Vampire, is a young Hollywood make-up artist who, after she becomes a vampire, sets up an enormously profitable website to sell makeup online. At one point she sold make-up in a Department Store.
So here is what I saw.
