As Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead, they grapple with what it means to hold on to tradition

MEXICO CITY (AP) — It’s midnight connected nan fringes of Mexico City, and nan San Gregorio Pantheon is not conscionable alive, it’s booming.

The roar of mariachis echoes complete families adorning nan graves of mislaid loved ones pinch rows of candles, orangish cempasúchil flowers and their favourite treats ranging from cookware de muerto to bottles of Coca-Cola.

Every twelvemonth this clip Mexico erupts successful celebrations during nan Day of nan Dead. Families stitchery astatine cemeteries crossed nan state connected Nov. 1 to reconnect pinch their dormant conscionable arsenic their ancestors person done for centuries.

For galore much successful mini communities for illustration this, it’s besides astir preserving nan halfway of their traditions arsenic celebrations successful places successful bigger hubs person progressively been marked by wide tourism.

“We’re conserving our tradition, portion of our practice that my mother instilled successful me,” said 58-year-old Antonio Meléndez. “We can’t fto it beryllium lost.”

Meléndez was among throngs of group gathered successful nan cemetery, tucked distant successful nan maze of canals and ceramic buildings successful Xochimilco, a borough successful southbound of Mexico City that has agelong carried connected traditions that person faded distant successful different parts of nan country.

He gathered pinch his 2 daughters astir nan sedate of his mother, marked by orangish flower petals dispersed retired successful nan style of a transverse and bouquets of pinkish flowers, his mother’s favourite color.

A tomb is dressed up pinch a Catrina sculpture and cempasúchil flowers aliases marigolds, celebrating Day of nan Dead, astatine nan San Gregorio Atlapulco cemetery connected nan outskirts of Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Meléndez said she died past year, and nan nonaccomplishment was still fresh, truthful he was trying to retrieve her by continuing pinch nan aforesaid rituals he watched her transportation retired increasing up, this clip pinch his daughters. He has started preparing for nan ceremony 4 days before, making tamales from scratch and building a mini altar for her successful their home.

Day of nan Dead dates backmost hundreds of years to ancient Indigenous civilizations, which would shape parties erstwhile personification died to guideline them connected to nan adjacent life, and lay retired nutrient successful altars to nourish them connected their journeys, according to nan Mexican government.

“In this ceremony of nan Day of nan Dead, decease does not correspond an absence but a surviving presence; decease is simply a awesome of life that materializes successful nan altar offered,” it writes.

When Spanish colonizers arrived and began forcing Catholicism upon Indigenous communities, they would operation Indigenous traditions pinch Catholic holidays. Celebrations of nan dormant past synced up pinch All Saints Day, connected Nov. 1, ending connected Nov 2.

A musician performs group observe nan Day of nan Dead, adjacent nan San Gregorio Atlapulco cemetery connected nan outskirts of Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

While celebrations begin ramping up astatine nan extremity of October, Mexican contented says that connected that nighttime their deceased are closest to nan surviving world, and group dream to support them company. Though each family celebrates successful different ways.

In San Gregorio Pantheon, aged women transportation monolithic bundles of orangish flowers, nan iconic flower of death. Some families sob into each other’s arms. Others beryllium unsocial adjacent to loved one’s graves successful silence. Many much portion mezcal and show stories of their family members.

Gathered pinch her girl and granddaughter, 60-year-old Beatriz Chávez kneels astatine nan graves of her son, nephew and father, softly lighting candles.

“It’s for illustration being pinch them 1 much year, emotion for illustration moreover if they don’t spot them, we consciousness for illustration we’re person to them,” Chávez said, noting that she planned to slumber successful nan graveyard, conscionable for illustration she did each twelvemonth since her begetter died erstwhile she was 10.

Over nan years, nan contented has been nan attraction of nan Disney movie Coco. A Day of nan Dead parade successful Mexico City was besides featured successful a James Bond film, contempt specified a parade not really existing successful existent life. Annual celebrations later adopted nan thought of nan parade from nan movie.

Juana Godoy, left, and Isaac Gonzalez beryllium astatine nan tomb of their dearly departed, arsenic they observe nan Day of nan Dead, astatine nan San Gregorio Atlapulco cemetery connected nan outskirts of Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Now, group from each complete nan world person flocked to nan Latin American nation, eager to acquisition nan rich | contented for themselves.

But erstwhile quaint celebrations successful hubs for nan Day of nan Dead for illustration Mexico City, Oaxaca and Michoacan person started to brim pinch tourists, who threat photos of mourners. In caller years, galore Mexicans person besides begun to operation nan ceremony pinch Halloween and different caller traditions for illustration nan James Bond parade person popped up.

Some for illustration Meléndez person prickled astatine nan shifts.

“Here, Halloween isn’t ours, it’s Day of nan Dead,” he said. “It’s sad because it’s getting distorted. We’re losing nan principle of who we are. This is simply a portion of us, our roots.”

For Meléndez, it adds an other level of value to nan ceremony successful their mini cemetery, which he and others opportunity has stayed existent to nan centuries-old traditions.

It coincides pinch a larger speech playing retired crossed Mexico amid an influx of American “expats” and tourists. As much move to aliases recreation to Mexico City, rents person gotten truthful precocious that galore Mexicans person been pushed retired of areas they’ve lived successful for overmuch of their lives, leaving vexation simmering successful overmuch of nan city.

Those who rotation nan graves and waste flowers and nutrient successful nan streets, spot nan changes little arsenic a nonaccomplishment of tradition, and much arsenic an improvement – a measurement for younger generations to proceed passing connected their practice successful their ain ways, and stock it pinch caller audiences.

That was nan lawsuit for mourner Chavez, who celebrated pinch her girl and granddaughter. They were utilizing nan lights of their iPhones to thief her grandma laic retired flowers.

“It’s beautiful because we’re talking astir different places being willing successful our culture. And I deliberation showcasing each our emotion for our dead, and nan ceremony of decease is important – important that they cognize of our roots, our traditions, procreation to generation,” said her daughter, 36-year-old Ana Laura Anell Chávez.