Day of the Dead: Celebrations return in full to Mexico after Covid restrictions

Families illuminate the graves of loved ones in the pantheon at Atzompa, Oaxaca state

Mexicans have been taking part in the annual Day of the Dead festival during which they celebrate the lives of the departed.

Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a pre-Hispanic tradition in which families remember their dead and celebrate the continuity of life.

Offerings to the dead are set up which include photographs, food, candles, flowers, personal items, skulls made out of sugar, paper mache skeletons and sweets.

The celebrations on Tuesday and Wednesday are the largest since 2019 after being curtailed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Devotees of Santa Muerte (Holy Death) gather in Mexico City's Tepito neighbourhood to sing songs and make offerings

People have been returning to their loved ones' graves, where many spent time cleaning them and preparing for the day

Couple dressed as Animas, a representation of the souls of the dead by the community of Yucatan, during a performance in Merida, Yucatan

Indigenous women dance in a parade in San Cristobal de las Casas, in Chiapas state

Men in masks dance during an offering in memory of relatives in Huejutla, Hidalgo state

Sex workers in Mexico City make an offering for deceased colleagues

Tsotzile indigenous people in Chiapas state decorate the tombs of their relatives

Indigenous people in Oaxaca play music at the altar as they make offerings

Family and friends have been celebrating the memory of Debanhi Escobar, who disappeared in Monterrey in April and was later found dead

The traditional has spread around the world, with these traditional Mexican characters performing on Tower Bridge, London

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