The Most Unusual Cultural Celebration I Ever Experienced was at a Cemetery

A Reunion Celebration Between the Living and the Dead

Growing up, I associated the cemetery as a place to pay respect.

My mom would buy a bunch of artificial flowers to place at the grave.

I’ve been to a few funerals a long time ago as a kid. It usually consisted of arriving in black attire, praying, and then food afterwards. We ate for comfort and to be there to pay our respects.

The mood was somber. It was a completely opposite feeling from when I went to the cemetery in October 2018.

There was a banner on one of the fences at the cemetery inviting everyone to come and celebrate the Day of the Dead at the cemetery.

When I was in high school, I briefly learned that the Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday to celebrate and remember the dead. From what I remembered, it seemed fun and festive. I wanted to check it out. Since my mom and I were in the area, we stopped by later that day.

The Day of the Dead celebration felt like a festival. It was lively and cheery. There were colorful booths set up.

The booth on the far left we got to spin a wheel and win a prize.

In another booth, there were makeup artists painting people’s faces like calaveras (skulls).

There is also a booth serving pan de muerto (bread of the dead). Each pan de muerto was served on the skull plate. It is a traditional Mexican sweet bread made during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

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