Corona-Pandemic
To many Corona-the Dead: mourning instead of a Fiesta at the “Día de Muertos” in Mexico
Flowers, candles, photos: The Mexicans in honor of the “Día de Muertos” your deceased loved ones.
© Claudio Cruz / AFP
In Mexico, the day of the dead will end with a noise Festival. Actually. Due to Corona all the festivities have been cancelled. Many families have found creative ways to commemorate deceased loved ones.
Decorated altars, large parades, and boisterous family feasts at the “Día de Muertos” or day of the dead is remembered in Mexico to the deceased relatives. This year, however, there are too many Dead to celebrate. More than 90,000 Mexicans have died since the beginning of the Corona pandemic. The dark figure is at least 140,000.
The “Día de Muertos” in Corona times
It is not grieved at the “Día de Muertos” is usually quite the opposite. Of the important holiday, families get together to commemorate their deceased Relatives in the cemeteries. It altars are set up – the so-called “ofrendas” – adorned with old photos, bright orange marigolds, and special foods, liked the dead like. The family elders tell stories of the past, it is danced and sung.
However, because of Corona everything is different this year. There are no large family celebrations, colourful parades. Even the churches and cemeteries will be closed across the country because they “might be places with a high risk of contagion”, as the Deputy Minister of health, Hugo Lopez-Gatell said. To block access to the graves, in front of which usually, the “ofrendas” are set up, would be a painful reminder of “Social Distancing” to continue.
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced on the occasion of the “Día de Muertos” is a three-day state mourning. During the days of mourning, the flag at the national Palace is hoisted in the city of Mexico to half-mast and there will be an official Altar for the Victims of the pandemic. For families who have lost relatives by Corona, is likely to be only a consolation. To have the opportunity to remember the dead properly, many Mexicans are almost as bad as the loss of loved ones.
The spirit of the holiday lives on
In spite of the many canceled celebrations of the spirit of the “Día de Muertos is not extinguished”. A sea of marigolds decorated the Mexican Boulevards, on street stalls, the sweet, traditional “Pan is sold de Muerto” and skulls and skeletons adorn shop Windows and billboards. Instead of in the cemeteries, many families set up their room with candles, flowers and photos decorated with “ofrendas” in front of the house.
Throughout the country many creative methods to “Social Distancing”have-celebrate, think of The “National Museum of Interventions can:” in Mexico city organized a competition under the Motto “he Who has the most beautiful Altar?”. For this, the participants have to take photographs of your decorated with “ofrendas” at home and one chicken – the best picture wins. The aim of the competition is “to preserve the Mexican traditions and to promote the spirit of community”.
Even the big traditional Parade in Mexico was cancelled-town normally attracts thousands, and at least since the James Bond Film “Spectre” is known worldwide. For the popular Zombie-parade is taking place virtually – with TikTok Challenge for the best costumes.
Latin America in the Corona-the focal point
But not only in Mexico, are overshadowed by the figures of the growing Infection. The whole of Latin America is currently one of the focal points of the corona of a crisis.
Brazil is affected to the USA and India in the world most affected by the pandemic. At the beginning of November, the number of documented infections is more than five and a half million. President Jair Bolsonaro has played down the pandemic from the beginning, and diseased self to Covid. Nevertheless, the government is pushing for a return to normality, and against the more stringent restrictions of the Federal States.
Also in Argentina, the infection numbers are increasing. In spite of the early lock downs, the country is taken to Brazil, most South America of the pandemic. So far, about 1.170.000 Covid have been detected infections. Since then, the restrictions are lifted in large part from spreading the Virus from the metropolises to the provinces.
Additional sources: “CNN”, “The Guardian”
