What is Day of the Dead? What to know about the Mexican tradition

On By Littum

Colorful altars, dressing in traditional Mexican party clothes, sugar skull face painting and masks are some of the most distinctive displays of reverence for Día de los Muertos traditions.

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Departed loved ones will continue to live on in the hearts of those who remember them, but a very special holiday honors the life they led on Earth.

At the end of October, or so tradition says, the souls of loved ones return from the afterlife to celebrate and spend time with living relatives on Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which is typically held on the 1st and 2nd of October. November.

Families, friends and admirers of the deceased prepare ofrendas or altars to welcome loved ones, including pets, home. The holiday also happens to coincide directly with Catholic holidays All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

“I feel like this Mexican tradition allows people to look at death in a different way,” Angie Jimenez, director of the altar program at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, previously told USA TODAY.

The annual tradition has been recognized by indigenous civilizations in Mexico for over 3,000 years. Elements of Catholicism and Christianity were later incorporated into the original death ritual after the colonization of the Aztec Empire by the Spanish in the 16th century, for a holiday shaped by the ideas, beliefs and motifs of the Spanish, Christian and indigenous civilizations.

Despite the holiday having its roots in Mexico, the tradition of honoring a loved one who has passed has been embraced by many around the world, with many large celebrations in the United States

Who celebrates the Day of the Dead?

Anyone you want to remember, including family members, friends, pets or even celebrities.

When is the Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, celebrated?

Day of the Dead celebrations usually take place on November 1st and 2nd, depending on the age of the deceased person you are honoring. But sometimes the festivities can start as early as Halloween night.

November 1 is commonly referred to as Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) or Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels). It typically honors the lives of young children or young people. November 2nd is known as Día de los Muertos and Día de los Difuntos, where loved ones remember the lives of adults who have passed away.

The separate memories not only acknowledge the different stages of life, but provide a specific focus for each day, reflecting a blend of indigenous Aztec beliefs and Catholic traditions, according to Republic of Arizonapart of the USA TODAY Network.

The construction of an altar or a grave site decoration can happen even earlier, depending on the region.

“I would say that most people, you can really say, celebrate it for a week or several weeks. Because a lot of people don’t do ofrenda on November 1st, they don’t do it on October 31st, they don’t make it on Nov. 2. They do it weeks before the actual holiday,” Mathew Sandoval, a professor at Arizona State University who researches Día de los Muertos, told The Republic.

Mexico City, for example, celebrates the Day of the Dead throughout the month of October, giving people the opportunity to add or change their altars throughout the month.

Although the holiday is widely observed by people in Mexico and Mexican-American or Latino communities in the United States, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala and even Haiti celebrate the Day of the Dead in their own way, according to The Mexican Museum in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution.

Where is the Day of the Dead celebrated?

Day of the Dead can really be celebrated anywhere an altar has been made, Jimenez said. Ofrendas have been built in homes, parks, grocery stores, and burial sites.

Families or friends spend the days gathering together to build an altar, visit the graves of their loved ones, use paint to create a skull-like figure on their face, dress up, make sugar skulls, swap stories, share food, enjoy music or dance, buy marigolds and attend a parade or festival.

What is a day of the dead sacrifice?

An ofrenda, or altar, is created with the attention to providing a physical space for the spirit of the family member, friend or pet you wish to be reunited with.

Most altars contain yellow marigolds, candles, photos of the deceased, papel picado or cut tissue paper, as well as food and drink for the dead, according to The Mexican Museum in collaboration with Smithsonian Institution.

Skulls, or calaveras, are commonly used decorations. They are made of papier-mâché, clay, wood, metal, carved tissue paper, and often they are made of sugar decorated with colored glaze, flowers or metallic colored foils.

The components integrated into the altar will vary depending on culture, region, preference.

Since the altar is the “heart and soul” of what Día de los Muertos is about, it’s important to include traditional elements like candles, papel picado, a drink or food, Jimenez shared. All these elements represent the four elements of nature.

As long as you have the traditional components, the location of the altar and its size don’t matter, Jimenez said.

The altar should also be unique to the person whose soul you’re interested in reconnecting with, so it can’t hurt to add a few personal touches like their favorite snacks, toys, or possessions.

Here are a few things you might want to include in yours:

  • Candles
  • Pictures/personal belongings
  • Cempasúchil (Marigolds)
  • Papel picado
  • Salt
  • Food/drinks
  • Incense
  • Religious symbols such as crosses
  • Music

How has the Day of the Dead changed over the years?

Traditions, like anything else, are subject to change or modification as time goes by.

Day of the Dead has gone through transitions of how it has been celebrated and honored since the time of the Aztecs, but one key element has remained the same. The living have a chance to visit the deceased two days a year in a joyous and rather colorful celebration of life.

One of the most unique aspects of Dia de los Muertos is the ambiguity of how it evolved into what it is today, Ramona Pérez, anthropology professor and director of the Center for Latin American Studies at San Diego State University, previously told USA TODAY .

Colorful altars, dressed in traditional Mexican party clothes, sugar skull face paint and masks are some of the most distinctive displays of reverence for the Día de los Muertos traditions.

Opting for these optional practices is a way to celebrate the holiday’s cultural significance. One of the most iconic Day of the Dead symbols, La Calavera Catrina, an elegant skull, was created by satirical cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada in 1910. The illustration depicted a skeleton dressed in fashionable clothes to mock the upper class of the day.

Over the past century, La Catrina has been embraced as a symbol of Mexican culture and has come to represent the idea that death is an inherent part of life and should be celebrated, according to reporting by The Republic.

It has become common to see people wearing La Catrina-inspired costumes or painting their faces to resemble the skeletal features of La Catrina, rocking elaborate dresses, suits, flower crowns, shawls or hats to form a complete look.

“They’re just a reminder of our own mortality. We’re all going to the same room,” Jimenez said. “Although it may sound very dark or morbid, it is a statement about how death is as beautiful as life.”

An earlier version of this story was published in 2023.

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