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• ‘A luminous antidote to the darkness’ of Hallowe’en, even for Joey Ramone.

By DOUGLAS M. DYE [Juneau Empire] – All Saints’ Day is a luminous antidote to the darkness that so often takes center stage on Halloween.

I first celebrated All Saints’ Day when living in Sweden many years ago. During my stay there, I happened to visit my great Uncle Axel on that holy day. Several months earlier his wife and soul mate of over 50 years, my great aunt Ida, had passed away. As the pastor in their small Swedish church lit a candle for her and spoke of her simple faith in Jesus, dear Uncle Axel quietly wept. After he regained his composure, he turned to me, smiled, and reassured me that he would one day be with Ida again. Truer words have never been spoken. Because Jesus rose from the grave All Saints’ Day is not simple sentimentality or a quaint old world tradition. It is a powerful and joyous affirmation that the “communion of saints”, as Christians speak of it in the Apostles’ Creed, will one day unite all who trust Christ.

It may seem strange that people could light a candle for a deceased person and feel joy and hope. But Christians — as the Apostle Paul sang out — are not people without hope, for “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep … for as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (I Cor 15: 20, 22)

Continued at the Juneau Empire |

 

…including Joey Ramone and El Marvin Gaye?

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS [AP/Spokesman Review] – In Houston, artists hold a “Day of the Dead Rock Stars” where they pay homage to departed singers like Joey Ramone, Johnny Cash and even “El Marvin Gaye.”

Community centers in Los Angeles build altars for rapper Tupac Shakur and Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

“It’s everywhere now,” says Carlos Hernandez, 49, a Houston-based artist who launched the “Day of the Dead Rock Stars” event. “You can even get Dia de los Muertos stuff at Wal-Mart.”

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, honors departed souls of loved ones who are welcomed back for a few intimate hours. The holiday is celebrated in Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and parts of Ecuador…

In North America, decorations often center on images of La Calavera Catrina, a skeleton of an upper-class woman whose image was made popular by the late-Mexican printmaker Jose Guadalupe Posada.

Continued at the Spokane Spokesman Review | More Chronicle & Notices.

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