Day Of The Dead Gay Couple Trivet

Submitted by Michael Ely August 10th, 2011
Certifikitsch Winner

Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that takes place on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saint’s day and All Souls Day, a day in which families and friends visit the graves of departed ones with gifts and picnics and it is believed that the dead return to earth to join in the celebrations. It is also celebrated here in Tucson which has a large Hispanic / Latino population.  On the second weekend of November, Tucson also celebrates the holiday with a long parade (All Souls Procession) in which people dress up in painted skeleton faces and costumes and march thru the streets of downtown to honor the dead (it is an incredible sight to see). Many of the shops here carry Day of the Dead related merchandise and souvenirs throughout the year including paper mache skeleton masks and figures, sugar skulls, paper flowers and candles for altars. Often the skeleton figures are shown as dancers, musicians, policemen, soldiers, politicians, etc. in humorous settings and scenes of everyday life (such as weddings, shopping at the market, the doctor’s office, etc.). This beautiful tile trivet was made here in Tucson by a woman owned family business. It depicts a Day of the Dead gay skeleton couple tying the knot (it’s nice to know that gay people can get married in the afterlife). The design was first hand drawn, then screen printed on Italian red quarry tile, then hand painted / glazed from the silk screen outline, then fired at over 1800.

7 Responses to “Day Of The Dead Gay Couple Trivet”

  1. Allee Willis

    I’ve never been a Day of the Dead person but I know how popular it and the artifacts that celebrate it are. Skeletons of any kind always freaked me out. But the colors on this are very lively and make the skeletons seem very happy, which I guess they always are on Day of the Dead stuff. And I always liked the way the colors are set off against black. So if I ever wanted anything dead under my food it would be this!

    • Michael Ely

      Hey Ted. No, it is not one of a kind, however they are hand done so there is probably some slight variations and I believe each tile is produced in small numbers. I just tripped on this tile because it is the first time I’ve seen anything that is Day of the Dead associated with a gay theme.