El Día de Los Muertos: Meshika in Mexico

At the Plaza Hidalgo in the Coyoacan neighbourhood of Mexico City, Monday, 2nd November, 2009 on the Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos). Here various ofrendas (offering) made to the dead can be seen. The Day of the Dead is one of the most important Mexican festivals when the dead family members and friends are fondly remembered. It is also believed that the dead visit their living relatives and friendson this day. The ofrendas are full of things that represent the dead like El Pan de los Muertos (the Bread of the Dead), Las Calaveras de Dulce (The skulls made of sweets), food items, candles, photos, masks, abundance of yellow marigold flowers (known as Xempaxochitl or flower of the dead etc. During this festival people make creative and imaginative representations depicting the dead relatives and others with offerings of the things they enjoyed when they were alive.This is a legacy of pre-hispanic civilizations which is beautifully manifested on this occasion through people´s beliefs that death is a transition from one life to another, and a communication exists between the living and the dead. The Day of the Dead in Mexico is not a sad and mournful commemoration but a happy and colourful celebration where death takes a lively, friendly expression.

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Travel & Events

Tags:

• Day of the Dead
• Dia de Los Muertos
• Coyoacan
• Mexico