November 1 was All Saints' Day. Yesterday, the second, was All Souls' Day. Day after tomorrow - November 5 - is Dia de las Muertas - Day of the Dead. October 31 was Halloween, formally and formerly known as All Hallow's Eve (the evening before All Saints' Day).

That's almost a full week span of opportunities to celebrate, mourn, and wisely learn about death, which naturally happens to all critters, be ye a fish, a falcon, a flea, or a human. (I like to ponder how death, like birth, is both an ending and a beginning.) There are dwindling traditions of whitewashing family tombstones, and taking care of the local cemetaries.  Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day with a Mass - it's considered a 'holy day of obligation'.

These special days give us a yearly reminder to honor the dead, and to celebrate life. There is some yearly fun too in looking at death; on Halloween we dress as skeletons and ghosts and goblins, and go from door to door, jack-o-lantern to jack-o-lantern, expecting our neighbors to pretend to be afraid, and give us a fistful of sweets.

'Trick or Treat!
Smell my Feet!
Give me something good to eat!'