The mysterious bone cleaning ritual in Pomuch

Within the framework of Mexico’s Day of the Dead , Campeche stands out from other entities with its traditional and mysterious bones cleaning in the Pomuch cemetery that offers a unique experience.

In the country, on November 1 and 2 , each region has a different way to celebrate this emblematic date in Mexican culture . In the case of the town of Pomuch, the tradition highlights its Mayan roots .

For some people, it would be an insult not to let our loved ones to rest in peace, but for people in Pomuch it is something normal and a way to pay homage to those who have already passed away.

In this community, when a person dies, they are buried for three years and are later unearthed on All Saints’ Day ; the bones are then put in a wooden box inside a niche to be cleaned by its relatives year after year.

For the Maya , death is not the end of life; it is another cycle in the universe, like a long tour in an eternal journey . Nothing ends with death; it is a transformatio n, a change of location that might as well be in the same world.

The Maya believe in being reborn (ka’a put siijil) , that is why souls come back to earth every year to enjoy a week among their relatives and it is a tradition to pray for them and offer them food , reason why the tradition is known as Janal Pixan , which means food for the souls .

In Pomuch , people also believe that if the family does not clean the bones during the first two days of November, the spirit will become outraged and will wander in the streets of the town.

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