In recent decades, Día de los Muertos, as it is known in Spanish, has caught on in the United States as a festive celebration for all ages. These new stamps from the U.S. Postal Service showcase the Day of the Dead holiday, in all its flower-bedecked splendor.
This pane of 20 Forever stamps contains five identical rows of four colorful stamps featuring several iconic elements of a traditional Day of the Dead offering. Stylized, decorated “sugar skulls” are personalized as family members — a child with a hair bow, a father sporting a hat and mustache, a mother with curled hair, and another child. The vibrant colors of marigold flowers and other embellishments, along with the white of the sugar skulls, stand out brightly from the stamps’ black background.
Luis Fitch designed and illustrated the stamps. Antonio Alcalá was the art director.
Day of the Dead, with all its exuberant color, life-affirming joy, and appeal for the whole family, is fast becoming a popular American holiday.
