Although the Day of the Dead is not a purely Mexican celebration, since there are several countries where the deceased are remembered on November 1 and 2, following Catholic beliefs, it is in Mexico where this tradition does not go unnoticed in any region, and each state adds its own special touch.
One of them is the state of Yucatán, where the celebration around the day of the dead receives the Mayan name of “Hanal Pixán” or “Janal Pixán”, which translated into Spanish is understood as the “food of the souls”.
This festival arises from the miscegenation between ancient Mayan rituals and the influence of European traditions that arrived with the colony. In ancient times, the Mayans did not have a specific date to celebrate their deceased, on the contrary, it is known that they believed in the existence of a pilgrimage between the levels of the Yaxché (or ceiba, sacred tree) to reach their final destination.
As part of their own customs, the Mayans sought to permanently honor their deceased, they did this through altars where through some figures “Personalized” clay sculptures sought to represent their deceased, evidencing the importance of maintaining the presence of the one who had departed in their home.
With the arrival of the evangelizers, a date was designated that coincided with the faith Catholic that celebrates all its martyrs or saints, on the eve of 28 of October and which, in turn, had adopted some old Celtic traditions, which related the end of harvest time with the return of the dead, who returned to this world to share what was collected in that season.
And this is how this cultural miscegenation gave rise to Hanal Pixán, a special event that takes place from 31 from October to November 2 in Yucatan, in where the souls “receive permission” to visit their relatives and friends, who, glad to receive them again, put offerings with their favorite foods and drinks through an altar.
Last 28 October, in Mérida, the state capital, the most famous cemetery in the region, Xoclán, was the starting point of a great parade known as the Paseo de Ánimas, a route where the assistants dressed in their traditional costumes and characterized, represent the souls that leave the cemetery, starting their tour through the San Juan neighborhood to finish in the Hermitage of Santa Isabel, where a sample of altars will be waiting for you.