Día de los Muertos is often mistakenly called “Mexican Halloween,” but this is misleading. There is much more to the Day of the Dead than it seems at first glance.
Día de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd in Mexico, although various forms of the celebration can be found across Latin America. This festival is a time to remember loved ones who have passed away. Families create “ofrendas,” which are offerings made to honor their departed family members. These ofrendas are typically decorated with personal belongings, photographs, and favorite foods of the deceased to celebrate their lives and invite their spirits back for the festivities.
The first day of celebration is known as Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the little angels). The celebrations start at midnight, when it’s believed that the spirits of all the deceased children reunite with their family members for 24 hrs. As we know, families create ofrendas that comprise the children’s favorite snacks, toys, and photographs. This encourages the child to come visit their family one more time. Also, families write their kids’ names on sugar skulls, or cavaleras, to remember their little ball of joy.
The second day, which takes place at midnight of the following day (November 2nd), the celebrations shift to honor the lives of the departed adults. The night is filled with laughter and fun memories, much like the night before. However, the Ofrendas take on a more adult-like theme with tequila, pan de muerto, mezcal, pulque, and jars of Atole. Families will also play games together, reminisce about their loved ones, and dance while the village band plays in their town. The night is filled with joy and happiness, not somberness and depression.
That noon is the grand finale and public celebration of Dia de Muertos. In more recent times, people come together in their cities, dressed up with Calavera painted faces (Skeletons) and have parades in the streets. Cemetery visits are also common on the last day as families will go to decorate the grave sites with Marigold flowers, gifts, and sugar skulls with the departed’s name on them. It’s customary to clean the grave stone and restore the color.
According to dayofthedead.org, another important part of Dia de los Muertos is the Mexican Marigold flowers, which are believed to be the path and guide the spirit to their ofrendas. They are called Flor de Muerto, which is the Spanish word for “flower of the dead.”
In the end, Día de los Muertos teaches us the importance of remembering and celebrating the people who shaped our lives. It invites us to reflect on the beauty of life’s cycle — to honor the past, embrace the present, and carry forward the stories of our loved ones. By celebrating death as a natural part of existence, this tradition turns sorrow into joy and remembrance into hope, reminding us that love transcends time and even death itself. Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.