Day of the Dead

Seems like a pretty dark and ominous title for a blog, doesn’t it? (Thank goodness Kevin is back, huh?)

Though the topic itself seems a bit morbid, The Day of the Dead is actually meant to honor the lives of the deceased by celebrating the continuation of life. Some spend the day at cemeteries and churches. Others build alters and reminisce about their deceased loved ones. Celebrations may even entail feasts and offerings. Obviously beliefs and rituals differ from culture to culture.

So how did this topic become blogworthy anyway?

Well, it was high time for a Girl’s Night Out and we were long, long, long overdue. We met at Momocho’s, a hip little place located on Fulton Road in Ohio City. Known for their ModMex (that’s Modern Mexican) cuisine and killer golden margarita’s, it was decided this new place was the place to be. (We recommend you start with the goat cheese guacamole, warm tortilla chips and chunky salsa -we opted for mild- made with cilantro.)

We also seriously dug the “Day of the Dead” celebratory theme of this place!

The Day of the Dead holiday originated in Mexico and is a national holiday there as well. If you’ve ever seen the movie “The Crow,” you’ll see the Day of the Dead (aka Devils’ Night) being celebrated. Devil’s Night falls on Halloween Eve and is associated with minors getting into major mischief. (It is known as “Mischief Night” in Ireland).

We would most likely associate Halloween with the Day of the Dead. Halloween stems from the name All Hallow’s Eve (also associated with All Saints Day), the evening before All Hallow’s Day. Many European cultures believe it’s the day spirits have the ability to make contact with the physical world.

Traditionally, to intertwine the Mexican traditions with American culture and political elements, some celebrate by making altars to honor victims of the Iraq war. (Source: Wikipedia)

There’s your history lesson, now back to Momocho’s…

Tall, glass pillar candles adorned with either the Virgin Mary or individual pictures of Saints (think All Saints Day and All Soul’s Day), lined the entire length of the bar, spatially arranged to give off a warm glow and enchanting atmosphere. One small wall fought to contain the presence of a large-scale skull (called calavera), portrayed in an orange marigold hue, outlined and detailed with black, to fittingly represent its raw and crude features. You can check it out, along with other photos and a menu right here: Momocho.

With no rhyme or reason to schema (and that’s a good thing in my book), the main wall had an eclectic spattering of adornments including various mirrors, an array of distinctive and unusual crosses, stars, assorted shapes and other tactile pieces. (This wall is not pictured on the site, however the upstairs dining area and paintings can be viewed).

Momocho’s (complete with a friendly staff and an outdoor patio) is undoubtedly a cool place but as usual, the coolest thing was just being able to hang out with friends, talk and laugh, and forget about life for a night.