We transformed the Mexican Día de Muertos into a Czech Remembrance Ceremony - with Petra Ponocna

💀 Did you know that in Mexico, they celebrate death on Día de Muertos?💀

Is it a fascination with death, where we constantly remember old wounds every year?

❌ Not at all. On the contrary: here, we aren't even able to properly talk about the death of a friend after a year. We tuck photos into albums, lock away memories, throw out clothes. And heaven forbid their spirits ever come to haunt us.

In Mexico, on the other hand, they prepare an altar for the deceased. They bring their favorite things and treats to their grave. They lure them back with sugar skulls to celebrate with them, to see that they haven't been forgotten. 

We've been talking for a long time about how life should return to cemeteries. 🪅 And in Mexico, they know how to do it very well! 🪅

🧁 They decorate graves with colorful flowers.

🧁 During the Day of the Dead celebrations, there are taco stands in the cemeteries.

🧁 Mariachis play.

🧁 And families spend the night there. 

Let's compare it to Czech All Souls' Day 🥀 – can you imagine not just laying a flower on the grave this year, but instead cooking the deceased's favorite meal and going to the cemetery to chat with them? Playing music and dancing? Reminiscing with others who come there? Probably not. But you can, for example, gather the family and remember the deceased together. Whether it's for All Souls' Day or not – and whether with our help or on your own. Get inspired by us here: https://www.pohrebnipruvodci.cz/obrad-vzpominani 

Here, we see grief as an illness that needs to be treated and has a clearly defined end. In Mexico, no one expects grief to end with the funeral and for everything to go back to normal. Instead, they naturally return to it every year, as it should be in life.

We also like to think that we invented self-help groups here – for example, for victims of car accidents.

But in Mexico, they have nationally designated days for various specific deaths, so people can share their experiences with others who have had the same fate.

🇲🇽 There's so much to say about Mexico! We were just talking about it in a podcast with our colleague Petra Ponocná. If you're interested, you can find us on Spotify. 🇲🇽