Mexico’s Marvelous, Magical Days of the Dead
by Karolina Pasionek
The colorful Mexican tradition of honoring and celebrating the dead dates back thousands of years to pre-Hispanic times when certain groups of Mesoamerican people – such as the Mexicas or Aztecs – would dedicate the entire month of August to remembering their loved ones. Today’s festivities are the result of the syncretism of a variety of indigenous spiritual practices with Catholicism imported from Spain and is held on November 1st (when it is believed that the souls of departed children return to their families) and on November 2nd (when the souls of adults make their annual return).
Seeing as how this is the most important Mexican celebration of the year, Mexicans prepare for it with sheer love and devotion, assembling colorful altars in their homes on which they place photographs of their departed family members adorned with fragrant cempasúchil flowers (marigolds), papel picado (pieces of tissue paper or plastic cut into colorful shapes and Day of the Dead ‘themes’) and, most importantly, the unmistakable aroma of their departed family members’ favorite foods and dishes. These typically include all types of tamales, mole (tenderly cooked chicken smothered in a delicious sauce made from chocolate and chili peppers), fruit, succulent homemade bread baked in the shape of bones, and even alcohol.
On the night of November 1st and throughout the day on November 2nd, families make their way to cemeteries all over Mexico to bring flowers, food, and music to their loved ones’ graves, oftentimes spending the entire night in celebration. This beautiful and touching tradition can be best observed in small communities in the states of Oaxaca and Michoacán and in certain outlying areas of Mexico City (e.g. Xochimilco and San Andrés Mixquic).
In recent years worldwide interest in the Mexican Day of the Dead was sparked by two movies that became overnight box office triumphs: Pixar’s much celebrated "Coco” (winning Oscars in 2017 for Best Animated Film and Best Song) and the James Bond movie “Spectre” (2015) whose opening sequence features a Day of the Dead parade in downtown Mexico City. Ironically, such a parade had never taken place before and the one created for the film became such a sensation that a new tradition was suddenly born, with a Day of the Dead parade taking place in downtown Mexico City every November 2nd since then. For more information on how we’ll be viewing the parade this coming Nov.2nd, please click on the following link:
Information about Mexico City’s Day of the Dead Parade
Finally, for those who have never seen the award-winning animated film "Coco", we highly recommend you do so before traveling to Mexico in October. Here is a link to the trailer:
