This awesome sight can be found adorning a light pole in Downtown Dunedin. As it turns out, they have an annual "Winter Holiday Pole Decorating" contest, sponsored by The City of Dunedin and the Arts & Culture Advisory Committee. As crazy as it sounds, I like it! Here is an excerpt of what the official press release says about it all:
" The objective is to dress up Downtown Dunedin for the holidays and create a festive and sparkling, family-friendly atmosphere. Light poles are to be 'adopted' and decorated by the local merchants and organizations. The contest sponsors are seeking applicants to get into the holiday spirit and help 'dress up our city for the holidays.' "
Now I have to admit, the Dia de los Muertos theme seems to be at odds with Christmas and the Holiday Spirit, but then it is celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November, so maybe it's not so out of sync after all?? And then, this pole IS just across the street from a Mexican restaurant!
Either way, it adds some great color and culture to an ordinary light pole! Here is a link to the
Wiki entry on Day of the Dead.
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I have to correct some earlier information now. In an earlier posting, click
here, I posted a photograph of a light pole decorated with a Dia de los Muertos theme. In that post I described the City of Dunedin's Light Pole Decorating Contest. Foolishly, I assumed that pole was a part of that contest. So, when I walked by the other day, looking for more decorated light poles, the pole had changed! It was still decorated in a theme that seemed Mexican in origin, but it was NOT the same. So, I walked into the Mexican restaurant across the street to ask some questions.
The restaurant is called
Casa Tina. When I asked about the light pole, I got the scoop. They had decorated that pole alright, but the Dia de los Muertos theme was for Halloween! They simply hadn't taken it down and put up the Christmas holidays theme decorations yet. I see, said the blind man! Casa Tina is a really cool place, and if you click
here you can check out their website and their menu. And in a future post, I will show you more of the decorated light poles that I found!
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