Celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead 2019
Rejoicing in the Mexican heritage and traditions
October 24th, 2019
The Mexican Festival of the Dead welcomes all culturally open-minded people, families and friends who wants to approach the theme of death in an uncommon way. The event has been organized by the Calaca association for the last 20 years and supported by the Secretariat of Mexican Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Institut of Mexico. In Germany, there is an increasing recognition that death should not be a taboo, through this way of thinking, the Mexican Festival of the Dead is finding an ever larger, multicultural audience in Berlin.
According to old Mexican belief, the deceased return at the beginning of November to celebrate a happy reunion with the living. Indeed, the Mexican ancestors did not associate death with horror.
The Mexican Festival of the Dead is not a funeral event, but a colorful folk festival and celebration of both life and death. The central exhibit is the Ofrenda, the altar for the dead, where everyone is allowed to bring a photo of a lost one.
Visitors will find a large altar in honor of all the dead, decorated with flowers, food, drinks, personal belongings and photos. All guests are invited to complete the ritual with candles and small memorabilia of their own.
The venue will be transformed into a Mexican market where delicious original Mexican food and drinks will be served, such as sugar pastries and also, sweet yeast bread. The evening program includes theatre, dance performances and live music. Also, it is a place for contemplation that invites people to celebrate in a warm and cheerful ambience.
