Mexico's Day of the Dead in pictures
- Published
The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, celebrates the cycle of life and death and takes place every year on 1 and 2 November. After parades were cancelled in many places last year due to Covid, many people took to the streets again for the cultural and religious festival, which is actually a time to be reminded of the beauty of life.
Although it takes place near the same time, the Day of the Dead is not the Mexican version of Halloween, it originates from the Aztecs over 2,000 years ago. It is also part of an important season for many Mexican Christians as it marks All Hallows’ Eve on 31 October, All Saints’ Day on 1 November, and All Souls’ Day on 2 November.
People often paint their faces to look like skulls, but these skeletons are not meant to be scary, instead the celebrants remember friends and family members who have died and passed over to what they believe is the afterlife.
People leave food like fruit, seeds, bread, sugar skulls and things like blankets at the altar of the dead (altar de muertos) for the souls of their loved ones.
It originated in Mexico, but people celebrate Day of the Dead across the world, like these festival-goers in Hollywood, California.