The peculiar rite in a Mexican town where human remains are exhumed to clean them on the Day of the Dead

On November 2, the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico, an internationally recognized holiday, in which loved ones who have died are honored through altars and offerings.

Its meaning is spiritual, since It is said that souls travel from the afterlife once a year to visit their relatives. For this reason, it is customary to decorate streets, houses, parks and buildings with decorations alluding to this day.

Although each region has different ways of carrying out this celebration, one of the most impressive is the one that takes place in the town of Pomuch, located in the state of Campeche.

Known as Choo Ba’ak or “Cleansing of the Holy Remains”it is a 150-year-old ritual that consists of exhuming remains from cemeteries to meticulously clean them.

With the help of brushes and pieces of cloth, the relatives of the deceased clean the bones of their loved ones and then wrap them in white cloths and place them again in an urn.

According to the La Silla Rota site, This tradition has its origin in Mayan beliefs, mixed with the Catholic religionand is a unique way to pay tribute and remember the deceased during the Day of the Dead festivities.

To exhume and clean the bones, It is necessary that at least three years have passed since the death of the person. Once that period has passed, relatives can go to the cemetery to clean the remains of their deceased.

Although in most places the exhumation of corpses is regulated by the Judiciary, and requires a permit from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in addition to arguing a valid reason for carrying it out, in Pomuch the process is less bureaucratic, since the inhabitants only need to present a death certificate and a certificate of exhumation granted by the local council.

For some it could be a macabre spectacle, but for the residents of Pomuch it is a tradition passed down from generation to generation to keep alive the memory of those who have passed away.

Keep reading:
– The Day of the Dead, a tradition that transcends Southern California.
– CBP warns about prohibited plants from Mexico for Day of the Dead celebrations.