Mexico celebrates Day of the Dead with parades and marigold displays

Festivities begin in October and lead up to Nov. 1 and 2, when the souls of deceased loved ones are believed to temporarily return to earth to reunite with their families. No one knows when the first observance took place, but it is rooted in agriculture-related beliefs from Mexico's pre-Hispanic era. Catholic traditions were incorporated into the celebration after the Spanish conquest in 1521.

The marigold plant (Tagetes erecta), known in Mexico as cempasuchil, has been cultivated since the time of the Aztecs. In the Aztec language, Nahuatl, the name cempasuchil translates as "flower of twenty petals." The marigold plant is grown during the rainy season, from May to July, and cultivated by Mexican farmers so it can be harvested in time for the Day of the Dead celebrations in October. For many rural communities, marigold cultivation is an important source of seasonal income. According to legend, the flower's vivid color and powerful fragrance is so captivating that it guides the spirits of the dead safely back to the world of the living. According to a popular Mexican legend, the cempasuchil flower arose from the love between the young Xochitl and the warrior Huitzilin, a bond said to have endured even beyond death. Historically, however, the legend cannot be definitively traced back to pre-Hispanic times.

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At its heart lies not mourning, but the belief that the bond between the living and their ancestors endures beyond death. Families decorate altars as it was thought this would help the dead in their transition to the afterlife. The offerings of treats, food and mezcal are customary on the night of November 1. On the night of Nov. 1, families gather at cemeteries across the country to reconnect with their dead just as their ancestors have done for centuries.

The Day of the Dead in Mexico has become a world-renowned spectacle. States like Oaxaca and Michoacan have seen an influx of tourists. Puppets, balloons, candles and ornate skulls and skeletons known as catrinas that are often hand-painted with bright orange marigolds float in massive parades attended by over 40 groups along the main avenue. In Mexico City, many locals are skeptical of an annual parade featuring floats decorated with catrinas. The procession was created for the 2015 James Bond film "Spectre" and later incorporated into the city's celebrations, though it was not previously part of the tradition.

In Janitzio, a small island on a lake in the central state of Michoacan, where celebrations were recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008, authorities closed the pantheon to tourists for the first time this year. The closure came after the island's community council reported the collapse of damaged tombs, crosses and parts of the cemetery's perimeter wall because of the flood of people. Only local families and friends of those buried there would be allowed in.