Day of the Dead Celebration!
Mexico City, Nov 1 (EFE).- By Diego Cubillas
Mexico celebrated its Day of the Dead on Saturday, one of the most important festivities in the country and which has become an international attraction where death is seen as the perfect pretext to celebrate life.
More than 8,000 people, from different regions of the country and the capital Mexico City, took part in the parade from the Puerta de los Leones del Bosque de Chapultepec to the Zocalo, representing the pre-Hispanic history, culture, traditions, music and life of Mexico.
The celebration attracted hundreds of people from various parts of the world who wanted to witness how Mexico cherishes the close bonds with near and dear ones who are no longer alive, Carlos Ramirez, a spectator at the parade, told EFE.
Wearing a mask of his favorite fighter, Ramirez pointed out that the parade’s story is very recent and that it emerged mainly because of the international hit of films such as ‘Coco’ and ‘007: Spectre’.
“It has a lot to do with the media phenomena in the United States, with the films that have been made and with all those elements. On the other hand, also with the exposure of social networks, which have made the tradition bigger than we could imagine,” added the Mexican.
Manuel Torres, with his face painted as the protagonist of a Disney film and accompanied by his children, told EFE he had been preparing for this trip from Puerto Rico for more than a year.
“Since last year, we have been looking to come here on Nov. 1 so that the children could enjoy Day of the Dead for the first time (…). They loved the ‘Coco’ movie and that was a major influence in coming here,” the Puerto Rican said.
Similarly, Costa Rican tourist Paola Rojas commented that, although in her country the celebration is different, she hoped to see “mainly the offerings, and obviously all the people dressed, the tradition, the culture, and to know and understand the custom a little more.”
A few meters from Rojas, her compatriot Esteban Montenegros looked to secure the best position. “I want to see a lot of color and a lot of joy, as I have seen on television,” he said.
Although the celebration takes place throughout the country, the capital becomes the epicenter of the festivity because of the way it brings together the various cultural peculiarities of Mexico.
Ana Montiel, sitting on a wooden sidewalk seven hours before the parade began, had traveled from the state of Sonora to experience the festival in the capital for the first time and witness “all the diversity that this parade represents.”
In her state, the influence of the bordering United States is greater, “so we celebrate more Halloween and those kinds of events, but here it is culturally richer, more symbolic, everything is a little more laid out and colorful.”
“In Mexico City everything is centralized. You can find a little bit of all states, even all countries and all nationalities. It is not such a traditional day of the dead in the sense of the people, but it is more massive and festive,” Ramirez summarized.
The parade lasted over four hours through the streets of the capital, decorated with the traditional marigold flowers, and was attended by more than 1.4 million people, according to official figures. EFE
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