About Day of the Dead
The Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, is observed in Mexico and other parts of Latin America over 1 and 2 November, overlapping with the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls. Despite the death theme, it is a vibrant, life-affirming festival in which families remember and welcome back the souls of departed relatives. Its roots blend pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican beliefs — particularly Aztec rites for Mictecacíhuatl, the Lady of the Dead — with Spanish Catholic practice. 1 November is traditionally for the souls of children (los angelitos), 2 November for adults. The contemporary form took shape over the colonial and post-independence periods and was inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008. It is a public holiday in Mexico and observed widely in Guatemala, the Philippines, parts of Spain and in Mexican-American communities across the United States.
Families build ofrendas — multi-level home altars decorated with marigolds (cempasúchil), candles, photographs of the deceased, papel picado paper cutouts, and the favourite foods and drinks of those being remembered: tamales, mole, pan de muerto (sweet bread shaped with bone-like ridges), tequila, hot chocolate. The marigold petals are scattered in paths to guide the souls home. Sugar skulls (calaveras de azúcar) bear the names of the living and the dead and are eaten with humour. Cemeteries are cleaned and decorated, and many families spend the night of 1-2 November graveside with mariachi music, food and storytelling. Cities hold large parades; Mexico City's was created in 2016 partly in response to the James Bond film Spectre depicting one. La Catrina, the elegant skeleton woman by José Guadalupe Posada, is everywhere. Skull-painted faces, embroidered dresses and flower crowns fill the streets.