Mexican Festival: Dia De Los Muertos
Sugar crush skulls, dancing in the streets and otherworldly celebrations marks the calendar for the most famous Mexican festival – Dia de los Muertos.
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Raising a glass of tequila to those who have passed over may seem a tad morbid, but in Mexico, rather than weep and wail you can celebrate those souls who have slipped over to the other side and who on this day have the chance of coming back for a visit. Where else could this majestic idea originated from other than the Aztecs, macabre it may be, but morbid it certainly is not for those passing through on the Día de los Muertos.
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As the day approaches you can expect truckloads of marigolds to start filling up the villages, cloying the air with their thick fragrance. Windows suddenly become adorned with ornate handmade skeletons lovingly put together and alters pop up on every corner and in every home.
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Faces get painted, paper garlands strung in the street and a thousand and one candles lay in wait for the flame to engulf them. In the pocket of Mixquic in the sprawl of Mexico City you can find that the roots run deep when it comes to this special day. Whilst the center of the city may be filled with tourists snatching up skeletons and drinking mescal until they fall down, in the suburban areas you will see candlelit processions and hear ghostly tolling bells guiding the spirits home.
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Deeper into the dry heat of central Mexico and things become even stranger still. Away from the gaudy mannerisms of the capital and the easy breezes of the coastline, you will find sleepy villages suddenly stirring to life. In Pátzcuaro you will find eerie lantern lit boats gliding silently over the misty lake, families camped out in cemeteries passing stories around to keep the spirits alive. Folk dancing and chanting rises from the pueblos and you cannot help but feel a shiver down your spine.
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