Experience the Day of the Dead Traditions in Mexico City

 

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What is the Best time to visit, to experience the Day of the Dead traditions?

 

For you to experience the Day of the Dead traditions.

The best time is for you to go to Mexico at the end of October. Or, you can arrive there on the day of Halloween.

Since the movie, Spectre has inspired the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City, you'll want to go earlier to experience the events and parades and main parade. So, check when the parade is likely to be on. In 2023 it appears to be sometime in the last weekend in October, and if you are planning to go, please confirm as it looks like there are events on from 21 October to 2 November.

 

 

Day of the Dead

On the 1st of November and 2nd of November, the Day of the Dead is celebrated.

The first day is dedicated to children. And, the second of November is for adults.

 

Every year on Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, his family shared the memories of relatives who had passed on. ~ Coco [Disney Pixar]

 

Where Can You Book a Day of the Dead Tour?

 

You can book a tour organized by Pata de Perro DF for the second day. You can go on the waiting list to book the tour in advance. Please note, the tour can differ from the one I went on.

 

In this tour, you travel by small bus out to three towns in the Milpa Alta area of Mexico City.

There, you experience the Day of the Dead traditions.

 

We did the tour in 2014, so the experience can vary now. You can see my pictorial experience of the first town follows.

De Ofrendas Dia de Muertos

Sign found on the walking tour at San Pedtro Atocpan

San Pedtro Atocpan

 

In the first town, San Pedtro Atocpan, you'll walk around the town,

Then, you can eat lunch with the people on the tour.

And, you will visit some churches. In the churches, you'll see offerings, and altars.

And, you can walk around the cemetery and see the decorations.

Pink Church in the Mexico City town

1 Ofrenda in the Church

You can see firsthand the Day of the Dead traditions of the Ofrenda in the church.

In the churches, you'll see how the Day of the Dead traditions has transcended cultures. And, see the offerings and altars.

See the pictures below to see the kind of items they use. Like, vegetables, fruit, and flowers.

Church at Mexico City town
Offerings and Altar in the church on the Day of the Dead Traditions
Day of the Dead Traditions Offerings
Offerings in the church for the Day of the Dead Traditions
Inside the church on Day of the Dead
Altar and Ofrenda for the Day of the Dead Traditions inside the church
Ofrenda in the church for Day of the Dead Traditions

2 Tour Lunch

You'll experience a traditional Mexican lunch with the people on the tour. Mole is on the menu.

Tour lunch on the Day of the Dead with mole
Chillis in a shop in Mexico City

 

From outside the building nearby, I was taking photos of the colored papers, Papel Picado.

The people inside said to the tour guides that I could go in and take photos inside the building. I thought that was very kind of them.

The papers came in different colors of blue, yellow, purple, green, white, pink, orange, and black.

 

Papel Picado Day of the Dead Traditions

Papel Picado

3 Day of the Dead Traditions at the Church

You can walk to the church and experience the Day of the Dead traditions.

Children were dressed up in costumes like skeletons. They had bags filled with lollies they had collected.

This experience reminded me of the Halloween tradition.

Church in Milpa Alta
Church in Milpa Alta with flowers

4 Cemetery on the Day of the Dead Traditions

You can walk around the cemetery and experience the Day of the Dead traditions.

In the cemetery, you'll see relatives and friends nearby the graves. They busy themselves decorating the graves.

You'll see flowers of different colors. They use many orange marigolds and gladioli.

And, you can smell incense burning. See decorated skeletons adorn the graves.

Church with Day of the Dead Traditions experience in Milpa Alta
Cemetery on Day of the Dead Traditions in Milpa Alta
Milpa Alta cemetery with Day of the Dead Traditions

5 The View

You can look at the view across the town from the church.

Town in Milpa Alta

6 Dog on the Street

On the walk through the street, you see a dog sleeping in the street of the town in Milpa Alta.

Dog sleeping on a Mexico City street

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Day of the Dead Traditions experience Mexico City Pin
Day of the Dead Traditions Pin

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Next, you'll walk back to the bus.

And, the tour continues to a cemetery in the second town, San Antonio Tecomitl.

Then, we visited the third town at night.

 

Have you visited Mexico for the Day of the Dead?

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