{"id":4797,"date":"2016-10-29T23:16:21","date_gmt":"2016-10-30T07:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chanfles.com\/blog\/?p=4797"},"modified":"2016-10-29T23:16:21","modified_gmt":"2016-10-30T07:16:21","slug":"day-of-the-dead-is-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chanfles.com\/blog\/?p=4797","title":{"rendered":"Day of The Dead…Is Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Let us give the last rites to a cultural tradition that has slipped away from us.<\/p>\n

I’m old enough to remember when Dia de Muertos practices started to cross over into the American mainstream culture. Some optimistic Chicanos thought it was a positive sign that, finally, this country was willing to consider us and our traditions as part of the fabric that defined the nation. Of course, I took the pessimistic route and figured it was a terrible portent of things to come. Fast foward a few decades and here we are, with Target offering Dia de Muertos costumes<\/a> for Halloween.<\/p>\n

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This Dia de los Muertos Costume is the fun and festive costume that’s hard not to love. Add some colorful face paint and you’re [sic]<\/em> Halloween look will be on point. Theme: Religious, Seasonal holiday, Horror zombie vampire,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Sucks to be right. I wonder what my abue would have thought of the “Horror zombie vampire” tag?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The latest shovel of dirt over the dead horse: Dia de Muertos themed Lottery Scratchers<\/a>! Yes, life is a constant gamble, and waking up the next day is a sure sign you are winning. But it seems like an utterly ludicrous and tenuous connection to turn this ancient cultural tradition into a meaningless liquor store dollar scratcher. That’s messed up.<\/p>\n