One of the most representative festivities in Mexico, the Day of the Dead, started this Friday at dawn, and in the picturesque neighborhood of Xochimilco, the traditional colors and smells of these dates mix in a special symbiosis with the placement of the altar of San Gregorio .
The typical cempasúchil flowers, with their characteristic orange touch, flood the cemetery of San Gregorio de Atlapulco, where the community gathers since Thursday afternoon to remember and honor their loved ones between music, songs, eating sweets such as bread of the dead or simply in reflective silence.
“We gather here in memory of my granddaughter, María de Jesús Flores Rosales, this child’s little sister,” José Luis Flores Ávila told EFE, who along with his grandson and the entire family went to spend the night next to the grave of the little one, where they dedicate folklore songs to her.
The festival began with a first day dedicated to the memory of the deceased children, before on the night of Friday the 1st to Saturday the 2nd it moved on to honor the elders, and that is why in this first phase it is common to listen to children’s songs or see toys on altars.
“As long as we continue to remember them, they will never die, so we have been making this small tribute, singing children’s songs, love songs for her and that is the reason why we are present,” Flores explained.
Hundreds of families gathered around the graves of their deceased, decorated for the occasion and cared for to the extreme, and from there tears and emotion were mixed with laughter and celebrations, generating a special atmosphere in which there was no shortage of food. nor the drink to get through the rigors of the night.
“We are going to continue cultivating this tradition like growing a seed so that the plant grows. And if we want it to continue producing, then we continue to give it our all, just as I used to meet with my grandparents, they made tamales, they made mole, now they are resting in this sacred pantheon and now I am the one who comes to remember them,” Flores added. , an example of how tradition passes from generation to generation.
It is undoubtedly the most internationally known Mexican celebration, as attested by the success of films such as Cocoand for many nationals it is also the most important and beautiful day of the year, as is the case of Christopher Barrientos.
“For me it is a very important date because we meet again with our loved ones, be it family, as you can see (points to the grave of his brothers), with our pets who have become family for many, for friends,” Barrientos shared.
He has come with his sister to honor his brothers that he did not get to know and tomorrow he will come to do the same with his grandparents, a tradition that was instilled in him since he was little.
“Well, my father came to clean with me every year since I can remember, and it was my responsibility to come clean because clearly I want it to be presentable, I want it to be something nice, not just this date, but all year long,” Barrientos said.
For Christopher, this is a tradition that, unlike what happens in other countries, in Mexico is still very alive and very present.
“I believe that it is a very established tradition and that we should pass it on to our children, to our grandchildren, because that should not die, since clearly we cannot forget our loved ones,” Barrientos stressed.
And as in Xochimilco, events like this multiply everywhere throughout the Mexican territory, in each region, each city and even each neighborhood, in their own traditional way and form, but with the same background, that the memory of their ancestors do not fall into oblivion.
With information from EFE
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