Fiesta hoy

The festival scenes of the Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, as well as El Rio del Tiempo before it, bears a startling resemblance to characters and facades of it’s a small world. The one seemingly out of place element are the merrymaking skeletons. Truth is, they may belong along the canal moreso than even Donald Duck himself!Known as calacas, the festive skeletons can come in many forms, including candy, wood or clay figurines, and even carved masks for revelers. Although the figures are created and utilized throughout the year, they are most commonly associated with the Mexican holiday known as Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos is the day when families make offerings of favorite foods and gifts to their deceased family members. The lives of the departed are celebrated, as no soul would like to see their loved ones hurt by their passing. As such, the calacas are often depicted as wearing bright colored clothing, and are dancing, playing a musical instrument, or both!

So, while Jose, Carioca, Panchito, and Donald Duck may be giving a special performance in Mexico City, the calacas have been celebrating their families for thousands of years.