THE DAY OF THE DEAD

NOVEMBER 1, 2018

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) celebrations in Mexico developed from ancient traditions among its pre-Columbian cultures. The origins of this Mexican holiday have been traced back to an Aztec Festival hundreds of years ago. Mexico’s indigenous people viewed death as part of the natural cycle of life and they developed deep traditions to celebrate and honor the dead including festivals, parades, and creating an altar for deceased loved ones. The altar is an integral part of the celebration and its purpose is to bring back the spirit of dead to reunite with their families and once a year on November 1st or 2nd, families gather in cemeteries bringing with them the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visit the graves offering these as gifts and they light a candle for each dead relative.

This beautiful tradition was named an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, as a way to recognize the importance of the Holiday and what it represents: a way to honor, remember and celebrate the life of the dead.

As the celebration draws more and more interest from around the world as something so uniquely Mexican, as well as being so colourful and steeped in tradition, we are receiving many requests from clients to be able to visit locations where the event is particularly celebrated.

Some of the many places in Mexico where ‘Day of the Dead’ celebrations can especially be seen are:

Mixquic – This is a suburb of Mexico City where a huge cemetery is located

Janitzio – The island in the middle of Lake Patzcuaro in the State of Michoacan is very well-known in Mexico for its celebrations

Oaxaca – The capital city of the state with the same name is again very well-known for the colourful tradition

Merida – The capital of the State of Yucatan has street parades and colourful festivals

Chiapa de Corzo – In the State of Chiapas. Has many ceremonies in the town cemeteries.

Destination Mexico can re-create the Day of the Dead as a theme for an event. Please contact us contact us at info@destination-mexico.com to find out more.

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