Annual Mexican Crying Competition Goes Viral
Cemeteries in Mexico were closed this year during the annual Day of the Dead mourning rituals. With many feeling deprived of their opportunity to grieve their loved ones, one city decided to put it’s tradition of selecting the best mourner in the country on the internet.
San Juan del Río, located in central Mexico, embraces death as a natural part of life. They are known for having a Museum of Death and also for their crying competition held every year. According to New York Times, The idea of finding the best mourner comes from the ancient customs of hiring weeping women to come and witness burials.
Twenty seven entries were submitted this year for the online competition. Which is twice the amount of in-person contestants last year. Videos were allowed to be up to two minutes long and were submitted by email to a group of judges. Contestants took all different approaches to their weeping videos. Some very serious mourning their past year, loved ones, and other misfortunates. While others even took a more comical approach. Overall, the online competition was a great way for the city to feel united in sharing a good cry.