Guide to Annual Halloween Activities Day of the Dead Style in Ocotepec, Morelos

This Halloween imagine hosting a party for thousands of your neighbors to celebrate the life of your deceased relative. That's what families do every year in Ocotepec, Morelos.

While you'll probably never find yourself hosting one of these events you can surely plan to attend one. On the night of November 1st, the day after we've opened our doors to children dressed in Halloween costumes, Ocotepec (pronounced Oko-te-PEC) opens its doors to its recently deceased.

The dead and thousands of living visitors are guided by marigold paths and floral archways that say "Welcome Home." The event starts at dusk and continues until about midnight - or whenever the tamales run out. The main attraction of the Day of the Dead celebration is the number of huge offerings made to Ocotepec's recently deceased. Those families who have lost a loved one during the previous 12 months are given a chance to showcase their elaborate altars and demonstrate their respect for their ancestors through their skill as hosts.

Visitors relax and enjoy strolling Ocotepec's darkened (people install low-watt bulbs or turn out the lights in their entry ways) cobblestone streets. The quiet is punctuated by the sound of bottle rockets the size of bratwurst exploding over head. Since the locations of the altars are determined by the loss of a family member, the distribution is random and different every year. Each street passed holds the potential to surprise the visitor with another altar.

Following trails of marigold petals and the silent flickering of candles, guests arrive to view altars complete with life-sized representations of the dead lying among their offerings. Altars are resplendent with flowers, candles, mole, fruit, bread, tequila, cigarettes, and a poster-sized photo of the deceased framed and resting at his or her feet. According to Mexican traditional beliefs the dead come home on that special night to enjoy the things that they loved while still alive.

Despite the fact that hundreds of visitors pass the altars, there is an air of quiet respect. Guests stop to admire the altars - each of which is unique, laying down their own offerings of long white candles. Family members of the deceased graciously work the crowd offering hot fruit punch (which is like the hot apple cider we also drink at Halloween) from plastic pitchers and small tamales wrapped in corn husks. Guests eat their treats and chat with their companions in white plastic chairs set out in the yard.

Even as a complete stranger, you find yourself wondering about the person being honored at each home. How many of these celebrations did they help to host in their life times? Did they stand at the laundry-tub-sized pots of steaming tamales and hand them to guests? Did they help to hang the garlands of cut paper and flowers over the altar of their ancestors? Amidst the festivities, strangers and locals alike often can't help but reflect on how they might be remembered when they, too are gone.

How to Get to Ocotepec, Morelos

Ocotepec is located 5 minutes outside of Cuernavaca, Morelos and about an hour south of Mexico City. From the Mexico City airport, take the Pullman de Morelos bus (see http://www.pullman.com.mx/esp/default.htm) from the airport to the Casino de la Selva bus station in Cuernavaca (cost: $10 U.S.) and take a taxi to a hotel of your choice (see http://www.si-mexico.com/cities/cuernavaca_hotels.htm or http://icuernavaca.com/hotels-in-cuernavaca.html or http://hotel-guides.us/mexico/cuernavaca-mx-hotels.html)

Parking is limited in Ocotepec's narrow residential streets, so it's best to take a taxi to and from the event. The cost should be around 60 pesos ($5.50 U.S.) each way.

What to Bring and Wear

Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring an umbrella in case it rains. Bring a little cash for the taxi ride and to purchase about a dozen candles so you can offer a few at each altar. Candles are sold at small stands on the main highway through Ocotepec. Twenty dollars will be enough for a family of four.

Don't wear a Halloween costume. Citizens of Ocotepec request that their guests honor the Day of the Dead and not confuse it with Halloween, which is the night before and not traditionally celebrated in Mexico. They want this night to remain special for their deceased loved ones. - jt