Day of Dead Expected to Draw Million Visitors

MEXICO CITY — More than 1 million foreign and Mexican tourists are expected to visit the village suburb of Mixquic to observe traditional Day of the Dead rituals on Nov. 2, city officials said Sunday.

Jose Irabien, head of Tlahuac borough in the south of the city, said everything was being readied at the village’s cemetery “for visitors who wish to bring offerings to their deceased loved ones.”

The Day of the Dead, actually a happy occasion, dates back to pre-Hispanic times. On Nov. 2, millions of Mexicans visit the graves of dead relatives to offer them sweet bread, candies, and other treats to be enjoyed “in the other world.” At night, cemeteries around the country are illuminated by thousands of candles, as relatives pray and remember their loved ones.