Day of the Dead in Mexico: Everything you need to know

Why is Day of the Dead so important? The answer is to remember Guillermo del Toro’s mythical statement when he won the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Director: “Nobody loves life more than we (Mexicans) do, because we are aware of death.”

This is how this annual holiday is known, officially celebrated on November 1 and 2. However, several days of preparation are required beforehand, which includes placing offerings both inside homes throughout Mexico and in places such as pantheons, schools and offices. Also notable are the parades where participants dress up as characters like La Catrina.

What is Day of the Dead?

With pre-Hispanic origins, it is a holiday that honors the memory of those loved ones who have died or passed along the path, to put it more subtly. It is believed that their souls return to the houses they lived in to live together and enjoy the dishes they enjoyed during their lifetime.

“In the celebration of the Day of the Dead, death is not an absence but a living presence; Death is a symbol of life that materializes on the offered altar. In this sense, it is a holiday of great national significance, since it includes various meanings, from philosophical to material.

“Its origins are in harmony between the celebration of Catholic religious rituals brought by the Spaniards and the commemoration of the Day of the Dead, which the indigenous people performed since pre-Hispanic times; The ancient Mexicans, Mixtecs, Texcocanos, Zapotecs, Tlaxcaltecs, Totonacs and other indigenous peoples of our country transferred the veneration of their dead to the Christian calendar, which coincided with the end of the agricultural cycle of corn,” explains the Mexican government portal. .

In this sense, November 1 corresponds to All Saints, and November 2 to the Faithful Dead.

So why has the offer been on since October?

Although altars should already be in place by November 1st and 2nd to receive the souls of children (or “little dead”) and adults respectively, tradition dictates that visitors begin to arrive several days before.

In this sense, it is believed that on October 28, an offering is made to those who died tragically, and on the 30th and 31st of the same month – to children who died without receiving the sacrament of baptism.

How is a proposal made?

Day of the Dead celebrations also involve making offerings, usually one per family. The portraits it is dedicated to, food, drinks, salt and water are just some of the main components of it.

The Mexican government adds the meaning of these and other essential elements to this type of representation.

• Candles and candles. It is the light that guides and gives souls peace and hope.
• It represents an aroma that cleanses the environment.
• This is an element that quenches the thirst of the deceased.
• It is placed so that the soul does not get lost and spoiled in the world of the living.
• Tsempasuchili flower. Both its aroma and color help souls reach their offering.
• Bread of the Dead It represents the cycle of life and death.
• Made from sugar, chocolate and amaranth, they replace the skulls that were used in pre-Hispanic times.
• Confetti. It refers to air, one of the four elements that must be present in the offering.

It is not surprising that during the Day of the Dead, tombs in pantheons also have altars and relatives of the deceased bring food, food and music to “be with” them.

In fact, each state or region of the Mexican Republic has its own celebration. At the international level, actions taking place in places such as Mishquik and Xochimilco in Mexico City, as well as Oaxaca, Michoacán and Puebla in the interior of the country, are attracting attention.

How to follow the parade in CDMX?

Mexico City has prepared a number of events before, during and after the Day of the Dead. On Saturday, October 28, for example, there will be a themed night ride by bike, rollerblades and foot from Fuente de Petroleos to Plaza Tlaxcoaque (20 km).

On November 4, the government announces the Great Day of the Dead Parade, which will end in Chapultepec and end in the Zócalo. The tour starts at 14:00.

There is currently no official call channel, so it is recommended to monitor user-generated content through social media.