Day of the Dead: Everything to know about Mexican holiday

It is observed on Nov 2, when all souls of the dead are believed to return to the world of the living. But the celebration typically begins on Oct. 28, with each day dedicated to a different kind of death.

It is primarily a Mexican tradition, but other Catholic countries around the world also honor the deceased. In the Philippines, relatives visit the graves of the dead. In Brazil, there is Dia de Finados. United States elebrates All Souls’ Day, when Catholics remember and pray for the dead.

The Aztec, Toltec, Mayans believed death should be celebrated and not mourned. The Nahua people of central Mexico believed the deceased traveled on a years-long journey to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead, so the living would provide supplies for the journey.

Día de los Muertos was originally celebrated in the summer months. The holiday came to fall on November 1 and November 2 to align with All Saints Day and All Souls Day on the Catholic calendar.

One of the most prominent symbols of the holiday—the signature skull face—originated around 1910 from Mexican illustrator Jose Guadalupe Posada.

The most important flower is the marigold, though its meaning varies. Its bright petals are said to represent the sun and act as a guide for the souls of the dead to return home.

While Halloween and Day of the Dead occur nearly in tandem and share similar customs (candy, face painting, and community gathering), they are not related.

To beckon spirits back into the Land of the Living, revelers create makeshift altars, or ofrendas, at their homes and at the gravesites of their deceased loved ones.

Pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, is a traditional Mexican pastry. Central to Day of the Dead celebrations, it is placed on the altar as an offering and also eaten as a tasty treat throughout October.