Introduction: I had the chance to have a conversation with Stefany Rocha from Wáay Wáay, an online tarot reading business that started in the midst of the pandemic, to talk about Dia de los Muertos and how COVID-19 has affected anything.
AMBI: *Cards shuffling*
Act: Stefany: Now you are going to repeat after me, I (say your full name), ask humanly to the oracle to reveal me my past, my present, and my future. And everything and anything that is good for me to know.
Track: Stefany started an online tarot reading business during the pandemic to connect with people who need of her services, while socially distancing. It was interesting for me to get her perspective on the upcoming holiday Dia de Los Muertos, given how much she believes in the supernatural.
Act: Stefany: Dia de los Muertos for me is the opportunity to connect with people who have the departed the physical world. Even though I believe that you do have a connection with them through the whole year, though el Dia de los Muertos is their special day, but overall I think it brings hope to the Mexican culture.
Track: She says that Mexicans do not care about COVID-19 and they will be no changes to how they will honor the dead.
Act: Stefany: If I’m really honest I don’t think Mexican people care about Covid. Yeah the government has cancelled public gatherings and the parade, but if I’m really really honest I don’t think that’s enough of a reason for Mexicans not to celebrate. And I bet you in the pueblitos they’re still going to go to the cemetery and they’re still going to do everything because it is a Mexican thing and we don’t care.
Track: Stefany says that as much as the government may intervene, in small towns people will still do what they have to do and even in cities as big as CDMX, COVID won’t affect any celebrations because they already are used to celebrating and setting up the altars in their house.
Act: Stefany: A lot of people in Mexico have been affected because most of the Mexican population live in big families and because of that three or four or five people from that family have died just within two weeks, so I think that even though Mexicans kind of laugh at death, it will be bittersweet because as easy as it is to celebrate Dia de los Muertos for your 90 year old grandma who died because she was viejita. For those families who have lost a lot of family members, it will be intense but in a bittersweet way.
Track: Stefany says that Mexicans laugh at death because for them it doesn’t mean the end given that everyone has to die and when they do it just means that they will get together in the afterlife and party with their families. For Baruch College, I’m Anna Lopez.