By staying a week longer in Merida Mexico duing my year long travels, I was able to partake in what was seven days of events celebrating the Day of the Dead recognized by the Mayans as Hanal Pixan, meaning “feast of the souls”. Indeed, it is!  A well-orchestrated series of communal events to honor the spirits of those who have departed this world by welcoming their return. Celebrating and reconnecting with those that are no longer with us……

 But First …What is the Origin of Hanal Pixan

 Both the Aztecs and Mayans believed the dead should not be mourned, that life and death are not to be separated but instead celebrated every year when their spirits return to reunite with family and friends. I found this spiritual and romantic notion of death so appealing immediately, wanting to learn more about its origin. In fact, this thousand years old tradition has evolved quite a bit, influenced not only by Spanish Catholic rituals and customs but by those of other Latino countries and by tourism (that’s right tourism). These celebrations are getting bigger and more elaborate thanks to social media and the demand to travel.

Here are some facts on how this holiday has evolved:

1. The Mayans believed in many gods that the Spanish Catholics likened to the saints.

2. It was the Spanish Catholics who chose November 1-2 to celebrate Day of the Dead to be consistent with the Day of the Saints.

3. Unable to shake the Mayans’ belief systems, the Spanish Catholics merged many of their customs and traditions forming what is known today as the Day of the Dead (partly resulting from the mixing of cultures).

4. What was once a family home tradition has now also become a more communal experience with processions, mass, alter offerings, parades, and other festivities. This of course, has led to it becoming a tourist destination for many cities, creating its own eco-system.

5. Millions of dollars are now made from travel, food, costume-making, and retail. The good of it is that everyone, including indigenous households get to take part in this short-lived annual economic boom.

How Merida Celebrates “Dias de Los Muertos”

Merida’s week of celebration is considered one of the largest ceremonies in Mexico. It had a brief pause with the pandemic, but now it is back in full swing. The city does a good job of using its plazas and parks to ensure that all residents can participate regardless of their location. For that reason, many of the events are duplicated beginning October 24th through Nov 2^nd.

There are family events for both children and adults from bike rides with painted skull faces to dog fairs, a Coco musical, traditional dance shows, walking tours of the city’s ancient cemetery and way more. For this story, there are two unique experiences I want to share:

El Paseo de Las Aminas (The Passage of the Souls)

I met up with a new friend at the city’s ancient cemetery built in 1821. There we saw stunning, colorful mausoleums with some as large as homes adorned with statues, as well as many in bad shape with open graves. Weekly cemetery tours are offered as part of the city’s cultural heritage (worth seeing). I was pleased we got there before the sunset to take photos.

Folks with painted white skull faces, many in traditional clothes, mostly dressed in white and holding candles, met in the middle of the cemetery to organize for El Paseo. A growing crowd outside of the cemetery was being entertained waiting for the procession to start. Outside the cemetery gates, purple lighting, the soft beating of drums with the haunting sound of a flute, smoke and the smell of incense permeated the crowd in anticipation of this candlelight procession.

Once El Paseo of Las Aminas got started, the volume of the music and drums was raised and the gate doors finally opened. Suddenly, “souls” (one assumes) are waking up from their eternal sleep and returning home to unite with their relatives and receive their offerings. It is a bit somber, mystical, and inspiring to see how well orchestrated this notion of death and life is reunited. It blew me away and made me think of my loved ones who have passed and who spirits just may be at the procession as I was thinking of them.

Once all the Aminas walked by, folks step down from the benches and followed behind on to the corridor where the crowds got even bigger. You are walking very slowly approaching hundreds of vendors selling all kinds of native foods such as tamales, treats and drinks. The corridor itself is full of homemade altars (ofrendas) set up by schools, associations and families from the barrio known as La Ermita welcoming the dead in most cases their relatives with their offerings of food and drinks. There were at least  50 ofrendas of every sizes. Quite a spectacle, uniquely indigenous and spiritual. For those who recently lost a loved one it also can be very emotional.  For another story on the use of  Ofrendas (altars) click here

  The walk ended at the downtown San Juan Plaza where everyone was offered “Pan del Muerto”, a freshly baked sweet bread with a sugar coating that made for a wonderful, delicious ending to a very special night. The entire event profoundly affected me as I was so moved by its theme of loss and remembrance. I was so taken by the significance of the altars as my mom passed 6 years ago. I look forward to writing about this unique custom practice held throughout the world in next month’s newsletter.

 El Desfile (Parade) de La Catrinas 

 The next day there were numerous family events throughout the city culminating in El Desfile de La Catrinas, a more festive event than the prior night.

 But First What is a Catrina?  

 La Calavera Catrina (translation) “the elegant female skeleton” was first created in 1910 by Jose Guadalupe Pasada whose illustrations had a satirical bite to them. The Catrina was a reminder that even the rich cannot avoid death, implying “we are all equal in death”. By dressing up a skeleton as an affluent woman of society, Pasada created an international iconic character that embodies this holiday.

For the Desfile de la Catrinas, the face painting this time is much more colorful, festive as is the embellishing of clothes and costumes adding both dancing and singing as part of the parade. The intention is to celebrate the return of the departed now reunited with their relatives. The artistry is like none I have seen in a parade lasting about 40 minutes, wishing it was longer. The crowds were huge and well behaved.

I love the significance between both these events…the waking up and wandering of souls in search of their relatives and finally the happiness of celebrating that reunification….a very different approach to mourning.

Being Mindful

 Every city/state in Mexico has their own customs and traditions on how they celebrate this holiday. Although many are similar, they are not all celebrated the same. The City of Merida has a more elaborate program serving a larger metropolitan area. Also, a significant investment in support of its tourism agenda. It’s important to note that the honoring of the dead is celebrated in all Latin America, as well as in Spain, the Philippines, Haiti and other countries. We are also seeing this holiday celebrated in many Latino neighborhoods in the US.   However, in this fast-moving world of social media, there are some potential leakages that over time can be problematic if not disappointing. Some of these are:

1. This is a religious holiday and should not be confused with Halloween, ever.

2. The potential commercialization of this holiday, much like what has happened to Cinco de Mayo by the alcohol beverage and restaurant industries, needs to be frowned upon.

3. It’s critical for countries like Mexico to protect these customs from outside influences. For instance, I saw some folks dressed as witches, pumpkins, and devils. None of this is part of their tradition. The leakage over time could be detrimental, but it’s up to these countries to protect it.

4. Lastly, cultural appreciation vs. cultural appropriation. Where do we draw the line?

Final Note:

My photos start with the visit to the ancient cemetery, the actual Paseo, masking painting and bike ride ending with the Catrinas’ Desfile. These events were  mostly held at night which makes it hard to take photos. Remember to click the center of the photo to see a full view.

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