Breathe
By Claudia Pérez Atamoros
Yes, to the cempasúchil flower marigold flower they also invent fake news.
Don't buy marigold flowers in pots, they are Chinese, they are fake!
Now it turns out that this seasonal flower, traditional for the Day of the Dead festivities, so vital for the souls of the deceased to find their way back to life, "the Chinese cloned it for us", do me the blessed favor!
Can you imagine this flower surviving an export from China? Not the plant, but the seed. Our cempasúchil flower has no denomination of origin. Why would it have one? In Mexico its richness and tradition lies in the Day of the Dead, no more. And from that to the fact that the potted marigold comes from China, if it is in Chinese, the truth!
And while they are pears or apples and the people are informed, they give a good blow to the national producers because they stop buying the potted flower to which they invested "time, money and effort". The seed is modified, but it can come from China or any other country.
In Mexico, 35 varieties of the 58 existing in the American continent are cultivated. However, since the conquest, the seeds of the cempasúchil were spread around the world finding in its color, other uses than just guides from death to life. This native flower was transferred and adapted in different countries giving it ornamental characteristics that differentiate it from the original.
Our Cempasúchil is aromatic and long-stemmed, the one produced in pots is smaller and without that penetrating and characteristic smell. It is industrialization. Its cultivation is faster and more efficient and produces higher profits for those who grow it at this time of the year in Xochimilco and Tláhuac. The native plant still exists but it is not sold on a massive scale.
The Chinese certainly produce about 70% of the marigold used in the world, in two of the most powerful industries: in the textile industry as a dye and in the food industry, as a pigment for the products we consume, egg yolk, for example.
Let's support the production of potted marigolds, let's not give the tower to the farmers who wait anxiously for this time of the year to make a profit. If you want pure and traditional cempasúchil, go to a local market or take a walk through a town near the big cities; it still exists and will continue to exist for those who prefer it in bouquets and not in pots. As you can see, there are different tastes.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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