Day Of The Dead

The Day of the Dead is synonymous with tradition. These festivities take place amidst rituals full of symbolic meanings. They are meant to show love and respect to family members who have died.

Thanks to the recognition of UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Day of the Dead is more popular than ever. Today it is not only celebrated in Mexico, but increasingly, in other countries. In some places this holiday begins on October 31, but it is mainly celebrated on November 1 and 2.

The Day of the Dead is an event that has many customs. These are some of them:

The altars are the main piece of the celebration, and are intended to welcome spirits to the realm of the living. Each altar has its offering, which are loaded with many elements: photos and a candle for each deceased family member, water to quench thirst, food, incense and marigold flowers that are the main attraction to decorate the altar. The flowers are also scattered from the altar to the grave to guide the souls back to their resting place.

The families place the favorite food of their loved ones on the altar, the bread of the dead, the sugar skulls and the pulque that is a fermented sweet drink is also very common.

Costumes are big part of the fun. People often paint their faces artistically to resemble skeletons, imitating the Catrina skull; they also wear flashy and very colorful clothes and accessories.