Colorfully-painted skulls, brightly-lit candles, ripe fruits, sunset-orange marigolds, and elaborate costumes: these are just a few images that describe the widely-celebrated holiday of the Hispanic world, The Day of the Dead, or El Día de los Muertos. From October 31 to November 2, friends and family gather to honor the dead with beautiful, lavish altars called ofrendas, and reunite with the spirits of the dead. On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the gates of heaven are believed to be open, and the spirits of the deceased children, angelitos, may reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 1, All Saints Day, the spirits of the adults come to visit their friends and families. On November 2, All Souls Day, families go to the cemeteries to decorate the graves of their relatives and set up the ofrenda at home, complete with marigolds, candles, freshly baked bread, painted skulls, picture frames of loved ones, favorite dishes and snacks, drinks, salt, old possessions, and more, each item having a significant meaning to the spirits of the deceased.

The most common symbol of El Día de los Muertos is probably the skull, in Spanish calavera. Skull decorations and caricatures are everywhere to represent the holiday’s remembrance of the dead; it is common for people to wear skeleton costumes and give sugar skulls as gifts to the dead. Introduced in the seventeenth century, sugar art became common for religious festivals in Mexico during the eighteenth century. Each sugar skull represents the soul of each of the deceased, with the name of the deceased written on the forehead and placed on the ofrenda in order to honor the return of the spirit. The vibrant colors and different patterns drawn on the skulls represent the merry atmosphere of the holiday, because it is not a only a memorial for the dead, but a celebration of life. A famous figure associated with El Día de los Muertos is Catrina, The Elegant Skull, or La Calavera Catrina, typically portrayed as a skeleton costumed as a Mexican upper-class female. Drawn by José Guadalupe Posada as a satirical portrait of Mexican natives who tried to adopt the traditions of the European aristocracy during the early twentieth century, Catrina is now an icon of El Día de los Muertos. Her image has driven the handcrafts of El Día de los Muertos, artists being able to depict her in their own representations, and statuettes and artwork of her commonly put up on the ofrenda.

     The ofrenda is set up during El Día de los Muertos, but families plan what they will gather and offer to the dead throughout the year. Especially for self-sufficient, rural families, El Día de los Muertos can be an expensive celebration, as some spend as much as several months’ income in purchasing offerings to honor the dead. The most common decorations include orange Mexican marigolds—called cempasúchiles—to attract the souls of the dead with their scent and to represent the evanescence of life, candles—called velas—to guide the deceased spirits back to heaven with their light, water (el agua) to quench the thirst of the dead after their journey to visit the families as well as to represent purifying and cleansing, incense—called copal—for their scent to appease the dead, salt to represent the spice of life, foods such as bread of the dead (pan de muerto) and sugar skulls for the spirits to eat their spiritual essence, pillows and blankets to allow the spirits to rest after their journey, and more. Families also present toys for the angelitos and personal belongings and photos of the dead, all to encourage visits by deceased family members, so they can hear the prayers and thoughts of the living, and to make them happy in hopes that they will provide protection, good luck, and wisdom to the living. Along with setting up luxurious ofrendas, people sing, have picnics, and remember funny anecdotes of late family members during El Día de los Muertos.

     Some families place Christian crosses and statues or pictures of the Virgin Mary on their ofrendas, representing the Christian religion that has influenced the Hispanic world, especially since Spanish colonization in the sixteenth century. The origin of El Día de los Muertos can be traced back hundreds of years ago to indigenous practices, such as the Aztec festival of Mictecacihuatl, Queen of the Underworld and the ruler of the afterlife, known as the Lady of the Dead. Before the twentieth century, the pagan symbols glorified during El Día de los Muertos were rejected by the Christian Church, but it was eventually made a national holiday by the Mexican government as a unifying national tradition, as it syncretizes both indigenous and Christian traditions. The three-day celebration coincides with the Christian triduum of Allhallowtide, from October 31 to November 2. Throughout the Catholic world, including Italy, Spain, South America, the Philippines, and the United States, El Día de los Muertos is celebrated to at least some extent, though it is the most vibrant and flamboyant in Mexico. In Europe, people offer flowers to the graves of the dead, say prayers, and attend mass. Ofrendas are made in Portugal and Spain, while masks, candles, and sugar skulls are offered in a festive celebration in Prague, Czech Republic. In Bolivia, the Day of the Skulls, or El Día de los ñatitas, is celebrated on May 5 and November 9, tracing back to indigenous Andean traditions. A Day of the Dead is celebrated in Brazil, called Finados, and Mexican-style Día de los Muertos is observed in Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Indonesia, and throughout the United States. In addition, the Day of the Dead has become adopted by poplar media, for its appealing aesthetics and unique cultural ideas; for example, a 2014 animated film called “The Book of Life” with Channing Tatum and Zoe Saldana is completely based on the holiday of El Día de los Muertos.

     Throughout history, cultures have been creating their own traditions and celebrations in order to honor the dead, a common theme. These commemorations usually include food and beverages, prayers, and decorations, as done in El Día de los Muertos. For instance, in some African cultures, before the hunting season, people visit ancestors’ graves, leaving food and gifts, and ask for protection. In China, the Qingming Festival, typically on April 5 in the Gregorian calendar, people worship their ancestors, clean and sweep graves, offer food to the deceased, and burn joss paper. In Japan, the Bon Festival, a Buddhist holiday held in August, celebrates the spirits of ancestors. In Korea, Chuseok is a tradition holiday in which people worship ancestors, clean family tombs, and offer food and drinks to their ancestors. In Nepal, Gai Jatra, or “Cow Pilgrimage”, is a holiday in which an actual or symbolic cow is used for tradition to lead the spirits of the dead into the afterlife for families who have lost a member during the previous year; it is also a time to dress up in costumes, as done on Halloween.

     El Día de los Muertos and all of its distinct, lively traditions captivate the world on October 31 through November 2, as celebrants honor the dead with fun fiestas, and non-celebrants see the brightly-colored images of the celebration on the media. The holiday is one of many special cultural customs, of one of many diverse cultures, that bring new perspectives and garner interest throughout the world.