Throwback photo day to the Days of the Dead flower markets in Valledodid, Mexico.

For the week leading up to the Days of the Dead, the markets are filled with thousands – hundreds of thousands, probably – of flowers, especially chrysanthamums and celosia, that will be used to deck the family tombs on All Soul’s Day. Every stall is is laden with blooms, and special masses said in the cemeteries and people bring candles and offerings, many spending the night in prayer, honoring their loved ones.
The morning after All Souls all these flowers had vanished, and the shopkeepers were back to regular life, with just a few stray petals being swept aside by the breeze. The market, like life, goes on – but the veil between the two worlds seems thinner for a while…