Day of the Dead Celebration 2014

Each year at The Ranch an alter is set up in our Dining Hall to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition that celebrates the lives of loved ones who have passed.  Although it is around the same time as Halloween, October 31- November 2, the day truly honors the dead rather than portraying the dead as spooky or scary.

An alter is usually set up with food, drinks and sweets to share with those who have passed as if they are still here with us.  The belief is everyone is born and eventually, everyone will pass, so why not celebrate all stages of life?  Why not celebrate the time our loved ones had with us?

In the Dining Hall our alter features photos of Professor Edmond Szekely, our founder, and Alex Szekely, the son of Edmond and Deborah.  We are also celebrating the life of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Galway Kinnell, a friend of The Ranch who passed away this year.  We also honor Jesus Solano, one of our Dining Hall servers who recently passed.  His smile and warm presence will be greatly missed at The Ranch.

As you can see in the photos above, our Day of the Dead alter in the Dining Hall is full of beautiful colors, flowers and food.  It’s a breathtaking site to witness and although I don’t believe my photos do the expansiveness of the alter justice, I hope you enjoy its beauty. And if you happen to be at The Ranch from October 31- November 2 in the future, be sure to head to the Dining Hall to see it in person!