The Day of the Dead in Mexico is not a sorrowful commemoration but a happy and colorful celebration where death takes a lively expression. Indigenous people believed that souls don’t die, but they continue to live in Mictlan, a special place to rest until the day they could return to their homes to visit their relatives. Before the Spaniards arrived, they celebrated the return of the souls between the months of July and August, but once they arrived, the Spaniards changed the festivities to November 2nd to coincide with All Souls’ Day of the Catholic Church.

For most of the people death is painted by a feeling of pain and loss, especially for those who do not know the purpose of their existence in this life, while for others, it is transcendence, transformation and resurrection. During the celebration of Day of the Dead all those feelings and beliefs come together in a season that brings to life the memory of the loved ones.

Sugar skulls are something you will see for sure all the time until the holiday finishes. The making of sugar skulls is a great project to share with friends and family while reflecting on the happy memories associated with lost loves ones. Even though some might think that sugar skulls are dark and morbid, they are complete opposite being colorful, whimsical and cheerful or even humorous. When they’re finished, their place is usually on the ofrenda along with all the other honorary gifts. Sugar skull icing comes in numerous bright colors, used to trim the eyes and adorn the head and face. However, not all decorations are edible: feathers, flowers, hats and other objects can be used to make the sugar skull more personal in honor of the dead loved one it’s made for, like leaving a blank area on the forehead for writing the name of the deceased that it’s dedicated to.

Kids in public schools build altars with ofrendas, usually leaving out the religious symbols. Government offices usually have at least a small altar, as this holiday is seen as important to the Mexican heritage. People with a distinctive talent for writing create short poems, mocking epitaphs of friends, describing interesting habits and attitudes or funny anecdotes. The custom originated in the 18th or 19th century, after a newspaper published a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future.

Unlike the most people that perceive death as the end of life, the Mexicans believe that it is just a continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake. The holiday is traditionally celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. Because it is a holiday with a complex history, its observance varies from region to region and also by degree of urbanization. In the small towns of Mexico a candlelight procession to the cemetery is held by most of the families on the eve of the celebration. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

Family members clean the gravesite, decorate it with flowers and enjoy a meal. They bring offerings to the graves that include the favorite foods, beverages, toys, and personal belongings of the departed so that they might enjoy them again. Family members spend the night at the cemetery and share the memory of their loved ones by telling stories about them. The celebration is a time to share with family and friends and to visit with the souls of the departed. The warm communal environment, the colorful setting, and the abundance of food, drink and the presence of friends and family members has appealing overtones for most observers.

Altars in Mexico are constructed at home or at the graveside. They include photos of the deceased, favourite beverage, salt to purify the soul, fresh water, soup and favorite dishes. The festivities of the Days of the Dead include traditional and satirical dances like the Rubios and the Chilolos. “La Danza de Los Rubios” is a traditional dance from the Mixtec area that honors the cowboys who herded cattle from Oaxaca to the states of Veracruz and Puebla as well as parodies the ruler from Spanish descent.  Each town have a variation of the comparsa, but the main characters are the happy widow, the dying or dead husband, the father of the widow, a doctor, a priest, a shaman, people dressed like death, a few devils, and “las lloronas”. Naturally death and the devils leave angry because they believed that they would harvest a soul for themselves.

This holiday is celebrated in southern Mexico, but it is a holiday that can be appealing to many people who can personalize it because it’s festive, joyful and interesting. It is more of a cultural holiday than a religious one. It is a great way to celebrate the memories of loved ones who passed away through preparing ofrendas, art, music, cooking, activities with family, fun times and lessons learned and not about sad times and ways how the person died, but rather how they lived.

Families prepare wooden skeletons long before the Day of the Dead comes. They show skeletons in all kinds of professions, being a baker, musician, doctor, bullfighter, dancer and many more. This is because usually the occupation of the deceased matches the skeleton that is placed on the altar later on, next to his grave, with other offerings. Skeletons can also represent animals, making one important part of Day of the Dead imagery: dog skeletons, cat skeletons, bird skeletons and horse skeletons can be seen on the fiestas.

The holiday is famous for the flowers that can be seen everywhere you look, like marigold, white calla lily, maroon cock’s comb, baby’s breath and lavender orchids. Marigolds form the golden path so the journey back is easier for the souls. When families prepare altars for children everything is in white, which symbolizes their souls that are completely pure. They place all kinds of things that would make a child happy, including hot chocolate, fruits, candies and toys. Ofrendas that are prepared for the deceased get decorated with sugar skulls, candles, cempasuchil flowers, and paper mache skeletons. Plates with the favorite foods of their dead relatives are also set on the ofrenda. Some have also liquor and cigarettes. On the ofrendas for the deceased children they place toys in addition to the food.

Skeletons commonly used to mark the day are more figurative and are not scary at all, unlike the ones used during Halloween. To mark the occasion, skull-bearing cards, calendars and coffee mugs are beginning to be found in traditionally less Hispanic neighborhoods. This only shows that the holiday has found its way into the “mainstream” culture. Details of the celebration vary with region, but one of the most common customs is the making of elaborate altars to welcome departed spirits home. Families often go to cemeteries to fix up the graves of their departed relatives and prepare the altars. Celebrations frequently include traditional foods such as pan de muerto, which can conceal a miniature skeleton.

Celebrations traditionally begin at midnight on October 31st and continue until November 2. While each town and region in Mexico has its own unique Day of the Dead customs, there are certain universal traditions that have developed over the centuries. Family altars are the important part of the way that holiday is celebrated. They are vibrant and showcase the love for deceased. Families and friends prepare gifts for the deceased, usually food, and decorate the graves.  Yellow is the most visible color on the altars decorated with bright marigold flowers. A symbolic buffet of favorite food and drinks serves the deceased. Trails of the marigolds lead like runways to guide spirits home back to their loved ones. The distinctive scent of marigolds are said to attract the dead.

Many foreigners are introduced to Day of the Dead via handicrafts, including paper mache skeletons and candy skulls. Sweets and candy skulls are traditionally intended for the souls of departed children, who return to earth in the late afternoon of October 31. Bread of the dead is decorated with strips of dough which appear like human bones. Bread is one of the centerpiece items on every altar. Extra loaves are shared with mortal guests. It is a type of sweet roll traditionally baked in Mexico, made usually with the addition of anise seeds, sometimes flavored with orange flower water, but there are also other variations you can encounter, depending on the region or the baker.

People usually take it to the gravesite or place it at the altar of the deceased. However, in some regions it is eaten months before the official celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Loved ones eat pan de muertos altogether with the favorite foods of the deceased as part of the celebration. The bones on the bread represent the lost one and there is usually a baked tear drop on the bread to represent sorrow. Circle around the bones represents the circle of life. Preparation of the favorite dishes is a way of reuniting with family and friends, while paying tribute to the people that passed away. The bones on the bread of the dead represent the deceased person and there is usually a baked tear drop on the bread to represent sorrow.

Don’t be surprised if you see a wash bowl, basin, razors, soap and other items the traveling spirit can use to clean-up after the journey. There are also personal belongings for each person and any other offerings the deceased may enjoy such as a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of tequila, if they used to like it. Candles help light the way for the spirits as well as other decorative items such as papel picado – tissue paper cut-outs, wreaths, crosses and flowers. Some of these offerings also double as the four main elements of nature: earth – food, wind – tissue paper cut-outs, water – a bowl of water, and fire – candles.

Copal is aromatic and its smoky tendrils rise like spirits in the night further sweetening the air on Muertos. Marigolds form the bright and golden path further guiding the spirits on this night and it’s a beautiful decoration for the altars. A mat woven of local reeds or grasses is last placed at the base of the altar table as a place to rest for the tired souls after the long journey. Other flowers such as white calla lily, maroon cock’s comb, baby’s breath and lavender orchids are also traditionally used for altars and they bloom in Michoacán during season.

There are plenty of rituals that are held during this holiday, with the most impressive celebration in the evening, when the souls of the deceased adults are honored and welcomed. Hundreds and hundreds visitors come to witness this beautiful ritual. A stage is set for the folkloric dances that are performed as a part of the celebrations. When everything is ready, the dances like the Danza de los Viejitos and the Dance of the Old Men start. In pre-Hispanic times this dance was performed as a ritual honoring the Sun. Other popular dance is Pescado Blanco – White Fish, through which the inhabitants of Janitzio express their gratitude to the lake, since fishing is their most important activity that helps them make a living. The fishermen go out at night to the lake with their canoes, lighting the way with torches and carrying out ritual with butterfly nets and finally at midnight, in the graveyard of the island, living and dead reunite once again.

Preparation of the favorite dishes is a way of reuniting with family and friends, while paying tribute to the people that passed away. The bones on the bread of the dead represent the deceased person and there is usually a baked tear drop on the bread to represent sorrow. The recipes which are used for bread of the dead preparations are not the same, they vary depending on the region where it is made. The classic recipe for the bread of the dead is a simple sweet bread recipe, usually with the addition of anise seeds, sometimes flavored with orange flower water, but there are also variations you can encounter, depending on the region or the baker.

Mole, nicuatole, pumpkin cooked with brown sugar, cane sugar and tejocotes, beautifully decorated pan de muerto, chocolate, pecans and peanuts, as well as cooked chayote and fresh fruits – oranges, lemons, bananas, jícama, tejocotes, nísperos and pineapple are mandatory, as well as pan de muertos. It is a type of sweet roll traditionally baked in Mexico – on November 1 and 2. It is soft bread shaped like a bun, often decorated with bone-like pieces. Families usually eat it at the gravesite or altar of the deceased, while in some regions it is eaten for months before the official celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Food preparation is a way of reuniting with family and friends, while paying tribute to the people that passed away, so everyone eat it with pan de muertos as part of the celebration.

Traditional meals, comprised of favorite foods of the deceased are set to in various clay pots. It is believed that the soul can taste the food through the smells and that the spirit consumes the essence of the meal. When the spirit has had its fill, the feast is then shared with relatives and visiting friends. This holiday wouldn’t be the same without sugar skulls that are made from very few ingredients – sugar, meringue powder, and water. After that, this mixture is pressed into a mold and allowed to dry, creating a plain white three-dimensional skull. The artistic part of sugar skull creation is how it’s decorated once the molded skull is formed.

The celebrations include building altars for the dead loved ones in their homes or on the gravesites. Families leave gifts for the dead in hope that they will come and visit them. Decorations and cleaning of the gravesites are usually done by women and children. The preparations are so thorough because people believe that it is a good luck when they please the souls with lots of interesting gifts, favorite food and beverages. Maybe that is the reason why these traditions still exist.

Day of the Dead is a very special holiday, since the people honor their departed relatives. It is a good chance to reflect on the life and death and get priorities set. It is the time to reunite with family and friends, to remember the good times, jokes and anecdotes. This holiday is not sad at all, in fact it is very cheerful and it celebrates joyous times that they ones shared. It offers comfort for the people that just lost someone and didn’t get the chance to make peace with it just yet.

All the preparations are done together and days ahead, so it is a wonderful time to spend time with the loved ones, to show and explain traditions to the little ones, so the tradition can be carried on from generation to generation. They prepare sugar skulls, candies, gifts, food, flowers and candles – everything that is necessary for the nice welcoming party for the dead. Mexicans believe that people who pass away keep their identity and come back the same as they were when they were dead. This is why the skeletons are made in the form of all kinds of everyday activities and occupations.

Skulls and skeletons are usually made of sugar, even though there are also lots of the ones that are not edible. One thing is for sure – they are not kept as a piece of art, even though they are, but their purpose is to make the holiday festive, colorful and beautiful. They also show the way Mexicans perceive life – something that lasts for a while, after what it is time to move on to the next step – death. The importance of skulls goes way back to the days of the Aztecs. During that time skulls represented their belief in the existence of an active afterlife. Duality like this is depicted on the Mexican folk images. The belief that is documented in indigenous folk culture concerns the Nahuals of Oaxacan woodcarvers – they are supernatural beings that transform back and forth from animal to human form and from human to animal form.

Lots of colorful sugar skulls are sold by vendors in the village open air markets during the week before Day of the Dead. They are made of a sugar mixture that has been pressed into molds and then dried. The dried sugar skulls are decorated with icing and sometimes non-edible items such as colored foil, feathers or sequins. Sugar skulls aren’t dark and morbid; they’re colorful and cheerful, sometimes even humorous. Then they’re placed on the ofrenda along with all the other honorary gifts.

There is usually a small space left for inscribing names, placed upon the foreheads of the smaller, two-dimensional skull and they are invited to eat it, as a symbol of eating their own death, which is another way that they acknowledge the belief that death is nothing but the passing from this life into the next. Rituals and traditions can provide the opportunity of feeling connected to what has gone before and what will continue through the passages of time.

Generally, families build altars in their homes and usually have the Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, candles and ofrenda. They spend some time around the altar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. When this holiday is observed from the outside, it may seem like it’s celebrated just for fun, but there is more to it. It is a way to give a family way to heal and feel the presence of their loved ones that have passed away, but also gives people the chance to change the way they perceive death. Most people avoid talking about death, so this holiday shows the funnier side of it, making it more familiar and closer.

However, there are also families that prefer preparing the altar of offerings at the family grave site, where they light a candle for each dead one, remembering the names and placing flowers or wreaths at the cemetery. Some stay to visit, eat, drink and pray while they keep a wake during the night, making one grand family reunion of huge extended families, alive and dead, as one by one the dead return. On this night, people who wait actually realize the importance of living a respectful life and the meaning of being well remembered, which can inspire many to work hard to be well respected and loving, so when they pass away can be missed and welcomed in a most beautiful way.

The dead are welcomed by their families here on earth through the construction of elaborate altars known as ofrendas or offerings. The altars consist of many items that are well-considered with the dead loved ones in mind. Pictures of the deceased, portions of their favorite foods and drink, toys for the angelitos, and other personal items are displayed on the altar table in honor of those who have passed. Even grooming items such as soap and shaving supplies are sometimes left, in the belief that the souls will be weary from their long journey and in need of freshening up.

Floral tributes, regional repast and candlelight vigils in each local cemetery are integral part of the celebrations, but among the Purepechas these activities are relegated to women and children, while the male population commemorates the season with other rituals related to the fall harvest. Lots of visitors annually come to the Island of Janitzio to witness the graveyard vigil there, although equally colorful celebrations may be observed more serenely in most other Michoacan villages.

During the holiday, there are plenty of sugar skulls, skeletons and other interesting candies. This art with sugar was brought to the New World by Italian missionaries in the 17th century. It was mentioned for the first time during Easter when little sugar lambs and angels were made to adorn the side altars in the Catholic Church. Mexico was abundant in sugar production and too poor to buy imported European church decorations, so they learned quickly from the friars how to make sugar art for their religious festivals. All this led to beautiful sugar skulls now widely used and displayed in Dia de Los Muertos fiestas. Skulls or Calaveras in Spanish are most common drawings of skulls or skeletons usually depicted in humorous settings, often in scenes that represent traditional activities. Images usually include churches, weddings, musicians, dancers, politicians, policemen and soldiers. The Calaveras are often accompanied by mocking “epitaphs” of persons living and deceased, in the form of satirical poems.

Dia de los Muertos is a time of smiles and happy times. During the holiday, children dress in ghost and goblin costumes and parade through the streets of towns and villages. Many dishes are prepared for the day like skulls and skeletons made from marzipan, chocolate, or sugar. Bakers make sweet breads in the shape of bones, humans, flowers, and animals.

The souls are expected to pay a holiday visit home and should be provided with an enticing repast and adequate sustenance for the journey. Frequently a wash basin and clean hand towel are provided so that visiting souls can freshen up before the feast. The offering may also include a pack of cigarettes for the after-dinner enjoyment of former smokers, or a selection of toys and extra sweets for deceased children. In setting up the altar, a designated area of the home is cleared of its normal furnishings. The arrangement often consists of a table and several overturned wooden crates placed in tiers and covered with clean linens. The offerings are then laid out in an artistic and fairly symmetrical fashion. The smell of burning copal (incense) and the light of numerous candles are intended to help the departed find their way.

At the family burial plot in the local cemetery, relatives groom each gravesite. In rural villages this may require cutting down weeds that have sprouted up during the rainy season, as well as giving tombs a fresh coat of paint after making any needed structural repairs. The graves are then decorated according to local custom. The tomb may be simply adorned by a cross formed of marigold petals or elaborately embellished with colorful coronas.

Day of the Dead is a holiday that tends to be a subject of fascination for visitors from abroad. With its rare mix of pre-Hispanic and Roman Catholic rituals, it is also a perfect illustration of the synthesis of pre-Hispanic and Spanish cultures that has come to define the country and its people. Death held a significant place in the pantheons and rituals of Mexico’s ancient civilizations. Among the Aztecs, for example, it was considered a blessing to die in childbirth, battle or human sacrifice, for these assured the victim a desirable destination in the afterlife. The success of the Spaniard’s spiritual conquest in Mexico is due in part to their willingness to incorporate certain pre-Hispanic customs into Christian practices. Today, most of the people are familiar with Day of the Dead customs, especially all-night candlelight vigils in cemeteries at Janitzio Island and Mixquic.