In Colombia, cemeteries were empty this year on Day of the Dead, which fell on a Sunday, according to a columnist reflecting on the loss of traditional customs. Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal notes how visits to graves have declined, with plastic flowers replacing natural ones.
Gustavo Álvarez Gardeazábal, in his column published on November 7, 2025, in Occidente.co, describes a landscape of profound changes in Colombian customs over 80 years. Focusing on this year's Day of the Dead, which coincided with a Sunday, he recounts that 'the cemeteries... were empty.' He explains that flowers on graves are now mostly plastic, avoiding 'wilted flowers or rotten water,' indicating a decline in family visits.
The author contextualizes this phenomenon within a 'profound revolution' in Colombia, attributed to the 'Revolution of the Traquetos'—the rise of drug trafficking—and the effects of the Second Vatican Council, which shifted moral values 'from the morality of sin to the morality of money.' He mentions the loss of patriotism, such as the fact that 'no one stands up when hearing the National Anthem.' In the political sphere, he notes that traditional parties have disappeared, the Electoral Code is outdated and allows contractors to infiltrate them to retain power. Additionally, he states there are no longer guerrilla movements, but '25,000 members of the traquetos' armies' protecting 300,000 hectares of coca for trade with Mexicans and Albanians.
Álvarez Gardeazábal observes that the president disregards the Constitution without public resistance, and extortions by criminal bands are accepted in neighborhoods and farms. In family and youth life, few families pray the nightly rosary, and young people prefer virtual interactions via cellphone over in-person ones. This column invites reflection on the erosion of traditions in a transformed country.