Milwaukee's Day of the Dead Parade

Last week, I was lucky enough to witness the Day of the Dead parade in Milwaukee. The parade ended and then began again at the art gallery I shared in a previous blog post. A giant skeleton was hanging in front of the gallery. This is the window you guys saw the Marilyn Monroe skeleton in before.

The parade was not heavily advertised. The only way I knew about it was from searching online for Day of the Dead events in Milwaukee. This was a very intimate community gathering. For the most part, it appeared that only the friends and family of those in the parade were watching. The parade participants did not seem to mind an audience. A few smiled for my camera.

 

Many of the people in the parade had painted their faces like sugar skulls. Some carried photos of their lost loved ones, and others carried giant skull signs and masks.

A few people pushed shopping carts full of skulls and flowers.

Children from local dance groups joined in.

 

These are Aztec warrior skeletons. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what they are. According to Wikipedia:

Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl.

I would love to hear someone correctly pronounce the name of that goddess!

 

I love the added touch of the cigarette to this skull.

A skeletal band marched through the parade. They were very dramatic!

I thought this bearded man was the most unnerving member of the band!

Each skeleton woman's torso is carried by a person wearing stilts.

 

Isn't her hair great? I love that red, braided fabric around her bun.

A cat skull

Notice the guy carrying a cactus at the end of the parade. I'm not sure why he brought the cactus along, but he kept holding it up in the air as if he were making a toast!

This last photo is possibly my favorite. I love how everything surrounding the man is a blur.

I checked Youtube to see if there were any videos of the parade I attended, and was surprised to actually find a few! What's funny is that I remember seeing the man who was taping this first one. I recognize the view of the street he had from standing on his car. If you watch this, you will recognize some of the people from my photos.



I was only around for the afternoon events, but it appears that more went on at night. Next year, I'll stick around a while longer!

I hope you enjoyed this parade! If you watched the first video, it's almost like you were there. Witnessing this was such a unique experience. It was so cool of this community to share their culture and holiday with anyone who wanted to show up. I suggest that next year you guys search for Day of the Dead events in your area. You never know what you might find!

A doctor who could scare you to death

In my last blog post, there was a picture of a person wearing a homemade plague doctor mask. It was a long, beaked mask that looked like it was made from paper mache. I recognized this shape of mask from my trip to Venice a few years ago. There are many beautiful carnival masks for sale in Venice, and a lot of them have this beaked design:

I had no idea what I was looking at during my trip, but I did notice that this mask design was everywhere. Below is a photo I took through a shop window in Venice. I was actually trying to get a picture of the masks on the back wall, but ended up with the silhouette of plague doctor masks as a frame. If you click on this picture, you will see more of the details. The two masks at the top are a common design. Often you see either glasses painted around the eyes, or writing on the beak.

Once I returned from Venice, I looked up the symbolism of the beaked masks. I found that they were called "plague doctor" masks, but that made me more puzzled. Further web searches turned up the reason for the beak design. Doctors working during a plague would have been smelling some unpleasant odors. The beak left room for the doctor to stuff flowers and potpourri in front of his nose.

So the mask that I thought was goofy looking, turned out to be quite serious and practical!

The picture below shows the various parts of a plague doctor's outfit. Wearing a wide brimmed hat would have identified a man as a doctor. There's also a theory that a wide hat and long beak would keep the sickly from getting too close to a doctor's face, and therefore infecting him. The doctor would carry a stick to direct people and also inspect a patient without touching them. His long coat would be tucked into his mask and covered with suet and wax. The suet was supposed to draw the plague out of the victim and trap it. The wax was there to prevent body fluids from sticking to the doctor.

After posting the plague doctor picture from Ren Faire, I exchanged some interesting tweets with an artist who goes by the name King Unicorn. He created the plague doctor art doll that is pictured below:

Isn't this character cool? He's a non-traditional take on the doctor, but he's eerie in his own faceless way! Click the image to see more of this character and read the inspiration for the design. You'll freak out when you see his back! King Unicorn is a great illustrator as well as a sculptor, and I think you will all enjoy his work. Here's his web site: http://www.kingunicorn.com/

Along with showing me a different kind of plague doctor, King Unicorn suggested an amazing movie to me: Restoration. The fact that this movie stars Robert Downey Jr. was reason enough for me to see it.

Besides getting to look at beautiful sets, costumes, and Robert Downey Jr., I learned a lot about 17th century England, and I liked the message of the film. It was shocking to go from viewing the excesses of the court, to seeing the plague-ridden villages that everyday people were living in. Throughout the movie, Robert Downey Jr.'s character (also named Robert) learns about his true talent to heal and also about what really matters in life.

I was thrilled to find an eight minute clip of Restoration that fits this post perfectly. I recommend watching the whole thing, but if you're pressed for time, you can skip to two parts of this. If you stop the video at 2:48, you will see the beak of the mask being stuffed with flowers and potpourri. If you skip to 3:42, you will see Robert wearing the entire plague doctor outfit.



Isn't the image of the plague doctor in this movie striking? Can you imagine seeing someone in this leather mask and hat? I think the plague doctor's outfit probably added more terror to the plague. By the way, the fire that is mentioned at the end of this clip wiped out a lot of the plague sufferers, and The Great Plague in general.

Since Robert looks almost Steampunk in his mask, I decided to do a web search for Steampunk plague doctor masks. I started by doing an Etsy search, and found all these goodies: Steampunk plague doctor masks

I think "Plague Doctor" would be a scary Halloween costume! "Plague Victim" might be an even scarier one...

Here's a trivia question for you: Who was the most famous plague doctor?

Answer: Nostradamus!

I was surprised to learn that Nostradamus was a plague doctor. The not so surprising part is that he was really ahead of his time. Nostradamus did not believe in using leeches on the sick, like a lot of doctors during his time did. When you consider that Nostradamus was practicing during the 16th century, and doctors were still blood-letting late into 19th century, he was way ahead of his time! Nostradamus' remedies of choice were: fresh air, clean water, and a juice preparation of rose hips that contained high amounts of Vitamin C.

On a side note, I was reminded of the old Spy vs. Spy cartoon while writing this post. I bet we can all guess what inspired these drawings...

I'm going to leave you with this beautiful tribute video to plague doctors. I think they deserve some kind of tribute, because these men were putting their lives into their hands while trying to help. Actually, most of the trained doctors had already fled the plague, so "plague doctors" were often regular citizens who stepped up to the task. This video is made from a slideshow of art and photos set to some great eerie music! I suggest watching this full screen if you can.

Fear the slithering death

A warning to anyone who is afraid of snakes: This blog post is about the Black Mamba. There are pictures and a video of it here, but I started with the tame looking picture of a snake crossing sign. That way, you won't see the scary stuff yet. I'm mentioning this, because I know if you have this fear, you won't even want to look at a snake. So, if that's the case, just stop reading now. :)

 

I watched a really interesting documentary tonight. It was about a woman who lives in Swaziland and helps move Black Mamba snakes out of homes, schools, fields, or basically anywhere else people need to be. This is terrifying work, because the bite of Black Mamba is lethal. If you do not get your hands on some anti-venom within 15 minutes of being attacked, your chance of dying is 100%. This snake's venom is the second most deadly after the King Cobra's. Black Mambas have their name because their mouths are entirely black inside. This snake might look cute and smiley in a picture, but I wouldn't want to be near it in real life.

Something amazing about this snake is the eerie way it moves. All snakes move in a creepy, slithery way, but there's something different about a Black Mamba. It is the only snake with the strength to lift 1/3 of its body off the ground as it moves. Since the Black Mamba can grow to 14 ft, this snake could lift its body up and (depending on your height) literally look you in the eye.

It took me a while to find just the right Black Mamba video to share. Between people being afraid to capture the footage or possibly dying in the process of filming, there aren't many videos out there. I did finally find a great video made by National Geographic. You'll learn everything you need to know about Black Mambas here:



This snake is very patient and self controlled. It stalks its prey and ambushes it. The Black Mamba could be slithering below you in the grass, above you in a tree, or even in a desk drawer. Seriously, one of these had to be pulled from a child's school desk in the documentary I watched.

Even if you didn't have a fear of snakes when you began reading this, you might be fearing the Black Mamba by now! You don't need to be too fearful if you aren't in Africa, though. That's the only place you'll find these snakes in the wild.

There are some things that everyone needs to fear, though. I've been reading a book titled The Gift of Fear: and Other Survival Instincts That Protect us From Violence by Gavin de Becker. The running themes of the book are trusting your instincts, using your common sense, and having some patience. I was reminded of the book as I wrote this post, because the people mentioned in it have tendencies similar to the snakes I described. The cover of the book states "This book could save your life" and I believe in some situations, it could. Anyway, I'd regret not passing this info along!

Another talented soul will be eternally 27

A human life is a schooling for eternity.
~ Gottfried Keller

I guess by now you've all heard that Amy Winehouse has passed away. I was really shocked and saddened to hear the news. I love the sound of her voice. Her music had a soul drenched, pain filled sound to it. I think her personal pain inspired her to write some of her best songs. The thought of great performances reflecting personal pain reminds me of my favorite singer of all time, Janis Joplin.

Janis Joplin and Amy Winehouse both had gravelly, booze stained voices that were so full of emotion. They also had this in common: both died at age 27. You know who else died at 27? Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. The list of musicians who died at this age actually goes on and on. (Click Here for the complete list.)

You've probably all heard about "The 27 Club" before. Statistically, many musicians die at 27. When I read today that Amy Winehouse died at the age of 27, I could not believe it.

Years ago, I was listening to an online radio show (Darkness Radio). The guest on the show was the author of the book,  The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock and Roll. He was a really interesting guy. If you'd like to read a little more about this book, there's a brief article on the npr site: Click Here for it.

I wanted to add an Amy Winehouse song to this post and I found a fitting one that you may have never heard. This is a recording of Amy singing a cover of "Will You Still Love me Tomorrow?"

I felt strange looking at pictures and videos of her while compiling this blog post. It was weird to look in her eyes and be reminded that she isn't alive anymore. Maybe she and Janis are off singing the most powerful duet ever.

If the members of The 27 Club are hanging out together in spiritual form, they might be putting on a concert similar to this one:

The afterlife is looking pretty cool! The thought of the best classic rock stars waiting to welcome Amy into their club, makes me feel a little less sad.

When I wrote "eternally 27" in this post's title, I meant that we will always picture Amy at this age. Even as we grow older, she will remain 27 in our minds. Despite her wild living in years past, she was looking healthy in recent photos. So when I remember her, I will at least think of a healthy and happy looking person.

P.S. ~ I was just looking at my previous blog entry, and realized I wrote that the woman in the old photo had "vintage Amy Winehouse hair". A comment that I thought was funny a few days ago, is completely weirding me out now!

Cultural Differences Among Zombies

There has been a lot of zombie talk lately in the blogs I follow. Probably, because as I learned from my buddies over at Gravedigger's Local 16, May is Zombie Awareness Month. I'm not too much of a modern zombie fan (unless you consider Night of the Living Dead modern). So I decided to go a little old school with this blog entry.

In Haitian, the word "Zombi" translates to: "Spirit of the dead." In "Vodun" or what you probably know as Voodoo, Zombies are seen as people who have lost all control. They are just bodies who no longer have any free will, because a sorcerer has taken control of their minds. In the Haitian culture, zombies are seen as an empty shell of a person who must work as a slave to the person who made them that way. They aren't thought of as rotten corpses feeding on brains.

In 1932, a movie came out that was heavily influenced by the Haitian concept of zombies. In "White Zombie" Bela Legosi's character controls zombified people who he uses as undead slaves. They may be used to make him more successful, and even at times kill for him, but they aren't really evil. The zombies in this movie are more victims than villains. Here's the "White Zombie" trailer:



In 1938, the book "Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica" was published. The book was written by Zora Neale Hurston (pictured below) and documented her experiences visiting Haiti and Jamaica during the 1930s. Zora was an anthropologist as well as a writer. She was also associated with the Harlem Renaissance. She was very productive as a writer, essayist, theatrical producer, and anthropologist.

While visiting Haiti to gather material for "Tell My Horse", Zora met a woman who was thought to be a zombie. She took a photo of the woman who claimed to be Felicia Felix-Mentor (someone who died in 1907) When Zora met the supposed zombie, it was 1937. Here is the photo that Zora took of her:

 

I can see from this photo that the woman made a convincing zombie. She was seen wandering around a farm where the real Felicia had lived. Felicia's family and husband did identify this woman as their lost loved one. Since she was staggering around and acting strangely, the woman was sent to a hospital. Once at the hospital, she laughed for no reason, spoke about herself in the first and third person, and seemed to have lost all sense of time. Doctors decided that she wasn't the once dead Felicia, since Felicia walked with a limp and this woman did not. However, Zora did state: "I know that there are Zombis in Haiti. People have been called back from the dead." So whatever Zora witnessed in Haiti made her a believer.

If you aren't familiar with Wade Davis, you should take a look at some of his work and youtube videos. He is also an anthropologist who has documented his experiences in Haiti. He provides a modern look at Voodoo and his videos are interesting and even a little funny in places. If you want to explore what he has to say, I found a nice, long NPR interview you can either read or listen to here: Wade Davis Interview about Haitian Voodoo

I admire Zora and Wade for being so fearless in exploring new cultures. I like to read and learn about this topic, but I can't see myself searching out Voodoo ceremonies in Haiti. I think there is power in thought, especially when a group of people focuses their thoughts at once. Watching some ceremonial videos tonight, I'm so struck by how into this people get. Some of these people are in a trance that you can argue is either self-made or a spiritual possession. Either way, it's intense to watch.

Here's a short clip from a BBC special on Haitian Voodoo. It's a little campy, but entertaining.

I was surprised to learn that Voodoo was recognized as an official religion in Haiti in 2003. Millions of Haitians have practiced Voodoo for hundreds of years. That's not to say everyone there believes in this religion; there are many groups of people in Haiti who do not approve of it. Here is a more serious and respectful look at the Voodoo religion. The following video is of a ceremony that is interesting but may be hard for some people to watch. If you think you might have a difficult time seeing someone chew on a live chicken's neck, you might want to skip out on this one. Despite that scene in the video, I thought the ceremony was educational, so I still decided to put it up.

So what scares you more - The modern American concept of a zombie or the Haitian Voodoo concept of a zombie?