We celebrate Day of the Dead with offerings, festivals, and food

Diana Rojas October 26, 2018

225 3 minutes read

This November 1st and 2nd, Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead. In LatinAmerican Post we present 3 festivals that you can not miss

Every 1st and 2nd November, the Mexican remembers and honors his deceased with offerings, parades, and festivals that fill the streets of the Aztec country with colors and smells. This is the Day of the Dead, a celebration that worships death not as something sad or painful, but as part of life. Like many other traditions and customs in Mexico, this is a tradition that Mexicans inherited from their indigenous ancestors and one of the "most transcendental and popular of the ritual calendar, both civic and spiritual."

Leer en español: Así celebramos el Día de los Muertos: con ofrendas, festivales y comida

In 2003, UNESCO declared the Day of the Dead Intangible Heritage of Humanity. There are even several films based on this ancestral celebration, such as Coco and The Book of Life, both animated films. Within the framework of this date to commemorate the ancestors, unique in Latin America and the Caribbean, in LatinAmerican Post we bring you a list of festivals that you can attend those days.

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1. Day of the Dead, CDMX

At the end of October and the beginning of November, Mexico City will be filled with events to commemorate the Day of the Dead. From parades, offerings, night walks, to artistic and cultural activities, the capital of the country will experience this date. According to the Ministry of Culture, on October 27th will begin this Day of the dead with the "Parade of the Day of the Dead that will depart from the Estela de Luz to the Plaza de la Constitución and the inauguration of the Great Offering in the Zócalo." This offering will be held until November 4th.

On November 1st there is a costume dance, entitled "To move the skeleton, because of the dead dance too." On November 3th there will be a night bike ride or "Night of the dead by bicycle." From October 28th to November 4th you will also have the opportunity to enjoy other artistic and cultural activities, such as theater, dance, music, storytelling and monologue presentations. In addition to workshops, seminars, museum nights, processions and many more offerings that will pay tribute to both the dead and migrants.

2. Festival of Life and Death Traditions, Quintana Roo

From October 30th to November 2nd will be held the thirteenth edition of the Festival of Life and Death Traditions in Xcaret, located in the Riviera Maya. "In order to celebrate the spirits that come from the beyond to meet with their loved ones at this time, Xcaret has prepared a very special program of activities that you can not miss," he explains on his official website. In this festival that commemorates this ancestral date, you can enjoy concerts, gastronomy, theater presentations, dance, music, as well as exhibitions and workshops.

"The state of Zacatecas is the guest of honor and will exhibit, through different artists and craftspeople, its rich colonial past full of traditions, as well as various theatrical representations coming from Quebec, Canada to complement the brilliant repertoire of artistic expressions of the 2018 edition." According to the same page, some of the invited artists include the Mexican singers Eugenia León and Ely Guerra.

3. Night of the dead, Michoacán

The state of Michoacán is home to eight magical towns where the Day of the Dead is also celebrated in large. According to a statement on the Night of the Dead, these are Pátzcuaro, Jiquilpan, Tlalpujahua, Angangueo, Tzintzuntzan, Cuitzeo, Tacámbaro, and Santa Clara del Cobre. As the Day of the Dead as such, the Night of the Dead is also a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This November 1st and 2nd live in Michoacan a magical journey and commemorates this Mexican cult to death.

As you can see in the program of the communiqué, in the Night of the Dead of Michoacán you will be able to know this ancestral Mexican tradition and its customs, at the same time that you enjoy artistic and cultural activities and the gastronomy of Mexico. From October 29th to November 2nd, you will be able to participate in unparalleled events offered by these eight magical villages located in the lacustrine region.

And how will you celebrate the Day of the Dead? Ready for tamales, atole and pan de muerto?

LatinAmerican Post | Diana Rojas Leal

Translated from "Así celebramos el Día de los Muertos: con ofrendas, festivales y comida"