Day of the Dead

"Only in Mexico is death an occasion for laughter. On the Day of the Dead, when their spirits come back to us, the road from Heaven must be made easy, not slippery with tears..."
The Consul – Under the Volcano

A certain fatalism pervades the Mexican way of life that means dancing with, or at the very least sharing a drink with death. To paraphrase Octavio Paz from his famous tract on Mexican character The Labyrinth of Solitude, death does not pass the lips in New York, London or Paris, but in Mexico it is spoken, sung, flirted with and caressed. On November 2nd, Mexico revels in this relationship with death, celebrating with the souls of the departed who have returned for this yearly reunion.