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| Day of the Dead parade in Spectre 2015 |
It’s a case of life imitating art.
The most recent James Bond film, Spectre, released in November 2015 has
an explosive beginning in Mexico City. The
famous British spy chases a bad guy through the historic downtown district
while thousands enjoy a Day of the Dead parade.
It was a fake parade, created just for the movie.
"Now,” according to the Minister of Tourism, “we’ve
had to invent the Day of the Dead carnival because, after the James Bond movie,
tourists will be looking for the carnival and they're not going to find it,” Enrique
de la Madrid Cordero said when speaking to a convention of travel agents.
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| San Miguel de Allende - 2008, L Lock photo |
In Mexico, November 1st honors children and infants "Día de los
Inocentes”, and adults are honored on November 2nd as "Día de los
Muertos". The Day of the Dead
(People) celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexican or Aztec, Maya, P'urhépecha, and Totonac.
Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these people for
as long as 2500–3000 years.
In
the pre-Hispanic-era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them
during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. The Dia de los Muertos celebrations include
building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and
the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these
as gifts. Some families leave a pillow
and blanket outside the family home to provide a resting place for their loved
ones. In many places people have picnics
at the gravesite of their family members.
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| Beauty-School altar Yucatan Living |
Many tourists seeking a Day of the Dead experience head for rural indigenous communities in states such as Michoacán where cemeteries overflow with flowers, candles, color, and emotion.
In Morelia, the capital of Michoacán state, it is evolving into a huge tourist attraction. Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro better known as San Juan Nuevo, located 15 minutes from the city Uruapan features lighting of candles, release of balloons and floating candles, Passage of the Souls walk, a costume contest, music and art. Closer to home, in Mérida the Passage of the Souls walk has grown to over fifty thousand participants.
Here on Isla the municipality has created several new
events to attract tourists to the Día
de los Muertos.
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| Getty Images - Yucatan Expat |
October 29th will
feature Flamenco Dancers at the Casa de la Cultura esplanda, that’s the area
behind the building facing the ocean.
October 30th is the
Magical Night of the Souls in the main square by City Hall, with troupes of folkloric
dancers.
On November 2nd The
Parade of Silence, for the passage of the souls begins at the old cemetery at
the north end of Hidalgo Avenue at six in the evening. The route will take the participants down Hidalgo to Lopez Mateos and then culminate at the Casa de la Cultura.
But, please
remember folks, it’s not Halloween. It
is a very intimate and personal way of conquering death, by bringing back dead
loved ones for a visit with the family.
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| November 2nd Festival de las Animas |
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