Women take part during the Parade of "Catrinas and Catrines", as part of the celebrations of Day of the Dead, in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Oct. 31, 2015. (Xinhua/Alejandro Ayala)
By Edna Alcantara
MEXICO CITY, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- A grand parade of giant skulls and richly decorated altars will make its way through the streets of Mexico City on Saturday, marking the beginning of the annual celebration of the Day of the Dead festival.
The director-general of tourism services of the Mexico City government, Felipe Ignacio Carreon, told Xinhua that celebrations this year would model themselves on the James Bond film Spectre.
In the opening movie of the scene, the British super-spy tracks a villain through the streets of Mexico City during a massive Day of the Dead parade. The scene was so popular that the city decided to recreate it for real.
The Day of the Dead is Mexico's most iconic celebration, declared by UNESCO as an Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003.
This year, the party will last three days in the capital, with over one million people expected to take part.
Carreon told Xinhua that the carnival will serve as a tribute to the departed, with numerous musical performances and the massive "Ode to Water" altar in central Zocalo square.
Activities will begin on Saturday, with the parade going from the Monument to Independence to the Zocalo. Blending tradition and devotion, spectators will be able to taste calaveritas (little skulls) and the typical pan de muerto (bread of the dead).
For Carreon, this "synthesizes the worship of death and its celebration in Mexico from the pre-Hispanic times to today."
People fancy dressed as "Catrina" take part in the "Catrinas Parade" along Reforma Avenue, in Mexico City on October 23, 2016. (AFP pic)
The parade will see 120 floats drift past the crowds for over three hours, with around 1,000 participants personifying aspects of the festival, including the Catrina, an elegantly dressed woman with the face of a skull.
On Saturday night, an organized cycling trip will go from the park of Chapultepec to Zocalo, with anyone dressed up for the Day of the Dead being welcomed to participate.
Throughout the weekend, a number of musical bands will perform freely across the city, including Susana Harp, Julio Revueltas, Triciclo Circus Band, Mono Blanco and the Typical Orchestra of Mexico City.
"During the three days, the Mexican people and foreign visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy, get to know, live and reinforce our culture and traditions, such as the Day of the Dead," said Carreon.
The worship of the dead has been a presence in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times, with its main purpose being to honor relatives gone from this world through laying offerings on altars and carrying out mystical rituals.
On Nov. 1 and 2, the country will honor All Saints' Day and the Faithful Dead, respectively, with offerings, ceremonies and music in homes, schools, cemeteries and museums.
Altars and offerings will be covered with orange marigolds - the flowers of the dead - along with fruit and other foods that the deceased enjoy eating while alive. According to tradition, these offerings help them remember their past lives.
