The Consulate General of Mexico in Guangzhou held a party to celebrate the ancient Mexican tradition of the ‘Day of the Dead’ at the Canton Residence on the evening of November 1st. The traditional festival is observed annually on November 1st-2nd in Mexico.

People attend a party to celebrate the ‘Day of the Dead’ at the Canton Residence in Guangzhou on the evening of November 1st. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

The Day of the Dead combines both native Mexican and Hispanic cultures, remembering dear people who are no longer with us in a positive way. It was this festival that inspired the Disney movie Coco.

On the Day of the Dead, people set out an altar with portraits of deceased loved ones alongside white candles, mini-skulls made of sugar and chocolate, as well as the sweet and spongy 'bread of the dead’ and other delicacies the dearly departed enjoyed in life, and recall their beautiful memories with them. They dress up as skeletons with the idea that they are enjoying the carnival’s food, drinks and music together with the departed who come back, following a trail of marigold petals.

People pose for a photo at the party. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

“We want to share Mexican culture with our friends from China,” said Amb. Carlos I. Giralt Cabrales, the Consul General of Mexico in Guangzhou. Mr. Giralt Cabrales hopes the Day of the Dead will become a medium of cultural exchange between Mexico and China.

Mr. Giralt Cabrales voiced his opinion that it is important for the two countries to become more familiar with each other. “We Mexicans are a little bit obsessed with food and the family is at the center of our society. That’s also the case in China. So I believe that we have many similarities.”

Now Mexico is the second largest commercial partner for China in Latin America, with the amount of trade between the two countries exceeding 80 billion dollars last year. “We will build a more solid connection with China,” Mr. Giralt Cabrales said, “We hope that there will be more trade, more commerce and more investment with China in the near future.”

Authors: Wang Yifan, Monica Liu

Editor: Simon Haywood