U.S. #5642
2021 58¢ Day of the Dead – Woman's Skull with Curled Hair
Issue Date: September 30, 2021
First Day City: El Paso, TX
Type of Stamp: Commemorative
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Pane of 20
Self-Adhesive
Quantity Printed: 35,000,000
One of the most recognizable elements of Day of the Dead celebrations is the calavera (skull). They're molded into candies and trinkets, carved into tissue paper banners, and painted on faces. These skulls represent the cycle of life and are usually colorful and full of joy.
The rise in popularity of skull imagery is often credited to artist José Guadalupe Posada. In the early 1900s, he produced political caricatures of skeletons dressed in the elaborate clothes of the wealthy. The most famous of these was Catrina, a female skeleton wearing a large, feathery hat.
During the Day of the Dead, sugar skulls adorn altars. These colorful skulls are made of compressed sugar, but are decorated with inedible items such as foil, feathers, and beads. The names of the deceased are often carved into their foreheads. Artisans also produce skulls made of clay and wood as well as edible candies made of chocolate. Ornate skull designs are also carved into layers of tissue paper to produce papel picado (cut paper banners).
Celebrants also wear calacas (skull masks) or paint their faces to resemble skeletons. Wearing colorful clothes and a variety of flowers, they sing and dance, reminding us of the joy and celebration Day of the Dead is meant to represent.