Ritual – Mexico

Do not step on anyone’s tombstones/grave. (Referring to the ones that are flush with the ground)

Notes:

When I asked about any sort of rituals her family upholds, the subject told me that in Mexican culture, you do not step on anyone’s tombstone or gravesite, specifically the ones that are flush with the ground. I asked her why they regard this as a ritual, and she said that it was extremely disrespectful to step on a gravesite, especially because Mexican cultures put a high regard on ancestors and relatives. She said that death is a big part of the Mexican culture, as seen in the Day of the Dead celebration.

I think that this ritual can be applied to most culture, I do not know of anyone who would step on someone’s gravesite due to the fact that it is extremely disrespectful and a little bit eerie. I do not think that the piece of folklore is as interesting as why she regards it as something very important. She made a point that if someone were to step on the tombstone it would be a very bad thing, not something someone could accidentally do and just step off of. I think that this is because of the extreme reverence of the dead in Mexican culture. The Day of the Dead celebration is entirely about this, with a two-day festival dedicated to celebrating the dead by making altars and adorning their gravesites with flowers and food. I think that this ritual is most about the respect you pay to ancestors, which is a popular belief across many different cultures.