Has anyone been to Mexico at the Day of the Dead celebration?

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gringa traveler

Day of the Dead is a wonderful holiday in Mexico. Mexicans see it as the time of year when the veil between life and death is thinnest and allows the souls of the departed to return home for a visit.

People build lovely altars in their homes in honor of family members who have passed on. They put orange flowers, sugar skulls and items relating to the dead person (I made one for my dad and put his camera, his favorite brand of beer and cigarettes, and his photo.) They lay a path of marigold petals on the floor from the street to the altar to help the soul find his way home.

Larger, more elaborate altars will be constructed in public places to honor public figures. Thay can be very beautiful.

For a week or so beforehand, the cemetaries will be busy with people cleaning graves, white-washing tombs, planting flowers, raking gravel paths. On that night, the cemetary will be thronged with families keeping vigil at gravesides. It is not somber at all--it's like a big party. Kids will be running around. People will be eating. There will be music and lots and lots of flowers.

If you have a chance to go, take your camera! It is one of the most colorful and charming holidays of the year.

Charlie

No, it is not disrespectful. This day is not sad and morbid. it is a national holiday, when they make fun of death...accept it as a natural part of life. there are school parties, parades, costumes. it is not a sad day. Many people come to mexico on that day on purpose to see the parades and fiestas.

petunia

I went to Patzcuaro/ Michoacan last year. It is not disrespectful and it is the most amazing thing you will ever see. The lake around patzcuaro is filled with candlelit boats for three nights and there are processions and parties nonstop

weechi

not disrespectful at all. it's a great holiday that honors dead relatives and mocks death as well. just remember, not everyone celebrates the holiday in the traditional way. lots of people barely recognize it. so you may be in awe of all the cool things, and you may not even realize it's happening...all depends on where you are.

bassmeister-D

Day of the Dead is Nov. 2nd. No it is not disrespectful. In the larger cities people are becoming more americanized and we have been seeing a merging of Day of the Dead with Halloween. With the exception of skeletons and pumpkins if you see anything vaguely resembling Halloween then you are seeing the foreign influence. In the small towns and villages the more traditional customs are still observed.

Day of the dead is an ancient Meso-American tradition. The people in this part of the world belived that one day a year the spirits of their dead ancestors would come to visit.

In homes people prepare an altar for the dead. The altar is covered with flowers; usually marigolds and sumptious velvety red amaranth flowers. The altar contains skulls fashioned from sugar or chocolate instead of the real human skulls of centuries past. A large votive candle is lit for each deceased loved one and is allowed to burn all day and all night-we put ours out right before bedtime for safety reasons. Families leave offerings of things that the departed enjoyed in life, their favorite liquor or beer and foodstuff, cigarettes, cigars, softdrinks, games like domino or cards.

At our home we leave a glass of water for each of the dead. Children enjoy seeing how the level in the glasses diminishes in the course of the day; evaporation of course but the belief is that the dead are thirsty.

The very traditional people also go to the cemetary the night before Day of the Dead and leave offerings at the tumbs of their dearly departed. When they return in the morning the offerings of drink are gone and the dishes of food are empty; feast night for the cemetary watchmen and their families!---or maybe it is the dead, hah!

Other traditions include the following: Giving chocolate or sugar confectioned skulls to friends with the friends' names written on the forehead of the skull. Figures of skeletons involved in everyday human life, eating, playing, working, even making love- altho' I am sure the last one is a recent addition. Also coworkers and students write humorous epitaphs about their workmates, schoolmates and friends, as if they had died.

At Patzcuaro on Lake Janitzio in the state of Michoacan there is a very beautiful and famous night time procession.

Come to Mexico on Day of the Dead. You will enjoy it and we would love to have you!

Bob Dole Jr.

Yeah the others have put it so well. Its a lot of fun and not the least scarey or morbid at all! Actually many kids like to celebrate Halloween now so it kind of stretches the whole thing out even longer. Several people have mentioned the Patzcuaro-Janitzio area and of course that may be the most popular place in the country, but its happening everywhere. In small towns the teenagers will head off into the cemetaries to spend the night with several boxes of beer and stereos just partying the night away. Almost every tourist hotel will have some kind of celebrations and there are many towns other than Patzcuaro-Janitzio which make a real big deal.

Come on down, you'll love it!

Rafael G

Patzcuaro/ Michoacan is the best place in Mexico to see the Day of the Deads Celebration.

kay

no i dont think its disrespectful . people just go 2 the cemetery 2 be with the people that they loved but well died. they take food cuz well they say that the dead rises and eats what they take,they take what the dead person favorite food was.

cute

well i actually live in Mx. in Tijuana. and here is pretty much like any other day, but yeah a lot of people like to visit the cementery in order to bring them flowers, and food (the food they liked when their relatives were alived). so dont worry about that kind of stuff, youll have a nice time. !!

Ninja of Love

Celebrating dead people? That is too scary. I will not take my rabbits to Mexico!

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