Mexico City opens Day of the Dead season

https://youtu.be/Xc4x__p2As8 Hundreds of people dressed as La Catrina transformed Paseo de la Reforma into a river of skeletal pageantry as Mexico City’s Day of the Dead season began, with a procession that wound past the Monumento a la Independencia and finished at the Zócalo. Participants wore skeletal face paint, ornate Catrina costumes and carried giant puppet frames, while drum bands, street performers and the scent of copal incense animated the route. Floats, marigold displays and music added theatrical color as evening lights amplified the spectacle. The parade functions as a public opening to Día de Muertos observances, a tradition that fuses indigenous Mesoamerican beliefs about the afterlife with Catholic practices introduced during the colonial era. In the capital the commemorations now span several days and encompass ofrendas (home and public altars), cemetery vigils, floral offerings and musical tributes as families honour deceased relatives while celebrating life’s continuity. Authorities reported a notably strong early turnout along the route, and tourism officials expect the wider Day of the Dead program to draw millions of visitors to the city, offering a substantial boost to hotels, restaurants and cultural events. The expanding international profile of the festivities has helped turn local rites into large-scale public spectacles, attracting photographers, performers and global audiences. The parade’s evolution into a major cultural and tourism event has provoked mixed reactions among residents. Many welcomed the energy and the spotlight on Mexican heritage; others voiced concern that the growing spectacle and commercialized elements risk overshadowing quieter, neighborhood-based rituals and the intimate family remembrances that are central to the holiday. Despite those tensions, the procession emphasized the core themes that underpin Día de Muertos: remembrance, communal ritual and the interplay of life and death. As participants marched and floats glowed in the evening, the celebration underlined a collective message—mourning and festivity can coexist, and honoring the dead remains a vivid, living practice that sustains memory and cultural identity. The city’s streets, altars and cemeteries now prepare for days of observances that blend solemn tribute with exuberant public performance.