The march of life and death

Every year, at the beginning of November, Barcelona becomes the stage for the Las Catrinas Parade, a procession inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead tradition. La Catrina, the parade's protagonist, is an elegant skeleton lady in a hat who has become an iconic symbol of approaching death as a natural part of life. The pioneer of this representation was Mexican lithographer and cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913). La Catrina—initially known as "La Calavera Garbancera"—was created by him as the central figure in a series of caricatures mocking Mexicans who, by dressing in European style and wearing makeup to lighten their complexions, pretended to be European aristocracy, forgetting their own heritage. Over time, "Calavera Catrina" (literally "death's head") became a symbol of Mexican national identity. In 2008, it was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. In recent years, thanks to global migration from Latin America, the Mexican version of the holiday—with its colorful skulls (calaveras), marigold flowers, and joyful atmosphere—has become a global cultural phenomenon. The colorful Las Catrinas parades in Barcelona are unique in every respect, combining Mexican and Catholic themes with Catalan Street parades. Only here, in a single procession, in addition to the key figure of La Calavera, can one encounter the Virgin of the Apocalypse, who, wearing a radiant crown, heralds the destruction of the world; the Big-Headed Men (Capgrossos)—symbolizing the plebs and meant to amuse the crowd with their mischief; the Dragons (Drac)—due to the lack of original beasts, often replaced in the parade by decorated dogs, for example; the Black Madonna (La Moreneta) of Montserrat—patron saint of Catalonia; and Jesus, who has just conquered death and, with the pregnant Mary Magdalene, is heading in a direction known only to him. According to its original intent, Barcelona's parades of starkly contrasting figures are intended to affirm death. However, the knowledge that Catalans are simultaneously protesting in neighboring streets against armed aggression and acts of genocide worldwide allows us to discover that the Las Catrinas parades in Barcelona are, in fact, an affirmation of the value of life.