Club celebrates Day of the Dead in Yucatan

Mayan Garden  Club celebrates Day of Dead

The Mayan Garden Club celebrated Day of the Dead with a party at   our Members’ home in Tulum and a tour of the Cemetery getting ready for the November 1 day honoring children.

Vendors sold flowers and chocolate near the cemetery for placement on the graves. We saw one man who had lost three children and his wife to a fire recently and he was trying to honor them through his tears. Many other family groups met at the family grave and talked of the deceased relatives. The Picture attached is of some of our members while others were still touring the cemetery.

Some built markers that towered above everything to honor their extended family while others decorated their colorful markers with flowers and pictures.

The indigenous people have combined the Catholic Holiday of All Soul’s Day with their customs of honoring the dead. They believe the gates of heaven are open on Oct 31 to allow the spirits of deceased children to reunite with their families. On November 1st and 2nd the adults come to reunite and enjoy the festivities and food prepared for them. Altars are made in each home and decorated with marigolds, fruits, turkey and special bread plus other food, water, cocoa  and also mezcal for the adults. In November the festivities are taken to the cemetery where they  listen to local music, feast and share stories of their deceased loved ones.

This is a wonderful time to learn of the Mexican culture and celebrate the meaning of a life.