5 THINGS ABOUT MEXICO'S DAY OF THE DEAD

The Day of the Dead, which begins on the evening of Nov. 1, is both an intimate family celebration and a vibrant party to honour the dead. This year, things will be different. Nov. 1 through Nov. 3 have been declared days of national mourning for those lost in the pandemic. Here's an overview.

1 WHAT'S TYPICAL

They decorate the graves of relatives and celebrities with bright flowers and offer food, alcohol and fruit, then feast and drink by the graves overnight. “The other aspect consists of telling stories about a hobby they had or bringing them items they left,” said philosophy professor Celerino Felipe Cruz.

2

NOT HAPPENING IN 2020

The orange-petalled marigolds that line Mexico City's Paseo de la Reforma are back. But yellow caution tape bars entry to parks, where families assemble flower-crowned altars, called ofrendas, to their dead. Parades have been cancelled and cemeteries closed.

3

REMEMBERING

If the family is not there on the one night a year their ancestors mingle with the living, the dead may think they have been forgotten. “Here in Mexico, death is life,” said Guadalupe Loaeza, an author and cultural critic. “We go to the cemeteries to say, `I am here. I did not forget.' Mexican families feel their

dead are very, very present.”

4

PANDEMIC EFFECTS

Authorities have confirmed more than 90,000 deaths in Mexico from COVID-19 and say the virus may take another 100,000 lives this year. Flags

are to be lowered to halfmast and an ofrenda will be assembled in the presidential palace. Families struggling to make ends meet will be baking their own pan de muerto, the traditional bread of the dead, and downsizing their elaborate

ofrendas.

5

OUTSIDE INFLUENCES

Most people will be staying home this year. The dead, said Cruz, were always meant to be celebrated at home. The practice of festooning graves reflects Christian influence.