eki eki

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The celebration of Halloween is, in the Celtic tradition, the one night of the year when the worlds of the living and the dead become one.

Kali Puja, a three day festival that overlaps with Halloween, acknowledges the destructive power of the deva of death.

Mexico's Dia de los Muertos predates contact with Spain.

We are all just cousins. At harvest time, our thoughts turn to the cycle of death and rebirth.

For three days almost every block had Hindustani, American, and fusion music blasting next to their statues of Kali. Seeing as I am the best nonprofessional heterosexual melanin-deficient male dancer from the United States, I busted some moves. I attempted to fuse the Hindu style with some neo-hippy arm movements and Sufi-like twirling.

Last night, delicious spiced rice dishes were served on leaf-plates from the temporary pandals. Good form of trick-or-treating.

There were processions of Kali idols with rapid drums, (men) dancing, and sadhus dressed as skeletons. The dancing was quite frenzied, and was a form of puja. Naturally I was quite pleased to participate.

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