Mexico City Holds Its First Day of The Dead Parade

A couple in traditional costume at the Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City, © BusinessInsider

Mexico City held its First Day of the Dead Parade On Saturday, October 29 at 3 p.m.— an uncommon event for celebrating the Day of the Dead in Mexican culture. 

The traditional way to celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico would be to honor the deceased through shrines and visiting grave sites. A parade in a big city is a large-scale way to celebrate and honor the dead.

The parade was less about the traditions and older ways of remembering ancestors, and more about entertainment and tourism attractions.

The parade was inspired by the Spectre, the most current James Bond movie filmed, shot in Mexico City itself. In the movie, Bond chases a villain throughout the streets of Mexico City during a parade with people dresses as skeletons.

Lourdes Berho, the chief executive of the Mexico Tourism Board, believed that there was an expectation for Mexico City to "have something", thus creating a large-scale parade for Mexicans and tourists "to come and participate in a celebration."

To read more about the parade and look at photos captured that day, visit http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37813562