This year, all the celebrations will be dedicated to the people who lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic, from which the country has faced three waves.
In 2020, the Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico were affected by the restrictions that the COVID-19 pandemic forced to impose. The measures caused an unprecedented drop in sales. A year has passed and flower, handicraft and food merchants hope their income will revive, although there is uncertainty about the economic malaise that also affects the nation.
The mixture of hope and anxiety is tangible in the Jamaica Market, the best-known flower sales site in Mexico City, where the aisles are full of the flower of the dead, the marigold, but with few customers shopping.
“We do not know how it will be, but the truth is that business is very slow right now. We have been throwing away a lot of production due to the fact that there are no sales ”, laments Mario Flores, one of the vendors.
In the country, the coronavirus caused a historic contraction of 8.2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, in addition to more than 3.76 million cases and more than 286,500 deaths, the fourth highest figure in the world in numbers absolute.
Last year to contain a wave of infections, the authorities ordered the closure of pantheons on the Day of the Dead, so sales related to this celebration fell by 70%, according to the National Alliance of Small Merchants (Anpec).
“Right now due to the pandemic it went down, not just this, all trade went down. In other years, at this time, right now there was a lot of sales, it was starting to sell, but right now since the pandemic is down ”, says Pedro Balderrama, one of the most veteran sellers of the Jamaica Market.
The hope of the sellers is the mitigation of COVID-19 in the country. The government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador predicted that the pandemic will reach “its absolute minimum point” next week, which will coincide with the Day of the Dead celebrations.
“We all hope that it will be sold because if not, what do we do with the merchandise? But I think so because things are already calmer ”, adds Balderrama.
However, some merchants say that the tradition of the Mexican Day of the Dead, an indigenous festival with Spanish influence to honor the deceased on November 1 and 2 and that began to capture the eyes of the world in recent years, will be affected by the mixture of the ravages of COVID-19 and the economic malaise that exists in the country.
This is what Lorena Balderas says, a young woman who offers sweets, skulls, confetti, dead flowers and ornaments at her stall. “The truth is that tradition is already being lost because many people no longer buy. I do not know if for the same reason that there is no money or the tradition is already being lost ”, he says.
Lorena acknowledges that sales “have decreased compared to previous years” and reminds the public that the merchants of the Jamaica Market and the artisans who make the decorations depend on them.
Alexander Gutiérrez, another merchant, who has had a family stall for five years with decorations for the altar in honor of the dead, is more optimistic about the reduction in infections and the epidemiological green traffic light that has eliminated almost all restrictions on the town.
“We are doing a little better since we are getting out of this situation of the pandemic that affected us all, in all sectors. We are coming out of it, the sale is increasing a little bit ”, says Alexander.
Although Mexico has overcome three waves of the virus, it still faces the ghosts of the economy, such as general inflation that accumulates 6% this year and consumption decreased 1% quarterly from July to September, according to BBVA Mexico.
Meanwhile, in search of the tradition returning to normal, this year the largest Day of the Dead parade to date is scheduled to take place in the Mexican capital. More than 170 artisans participated in the preparations with special excitement after it was canceled last year.
“We are very happy. This is the biggest parade we are going to do and the one we have done in the shortest time. But without a doubt we are very happy because this parade returns the activities to many workshops and that is work for many families ”, declared Paco Enríquez, technical director of the El Volador workshop.
This workshop built seven allegorical cars (floats) in three months for the Day of the Dead parade, which will take place this Sunday in the capital. In addition, they coordinate the work of the rest of the workshops and groups that are preparing all the props for the “big day.”
This year the so-called International Day of the Dead Parade returns to what it was before 2020, but also brings news such as the inclusion of shows musicals by internationally recognized artists, who will perform classic themes such as Cute sky and The weeping woman.
The parade will travel 8.7 kilometers, from the central Zócalo of the capital to Campo Marte, strolling through much of the Paseo de la Reforma allegorical cars, alebrijes and monumental skulls, among others, guided by 1,080 participants.
“It will have four segments, telling the story, which comes from pre-Hispanic times, then the great Tenochtitlan, to modern-day Mexico, and we close with a great party,” Enríquez explained.
This year, all Day of the Dead celebrations are dedicated to the people who lost their lives to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It is a tribute to the people who lost a family member in the pandemic, to the people who suffered losses. This parade is part of the offering, that tradition where we honor our deceased has a lot of meaning and fills us with great joy ”, Enríquez stressed.
The artisan reiterated his gratitude to the Government of Mexico City since after months looking for alternatives to continue existing as a workshop, they finally returned to their business. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
