In Pictures

Photos: Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead – Dia de Muertos

Adults and children dress as skeletons and celebrate the lives of the departed in annual joy-filled festivities.

People look at giant skeletons during the Day of the Dead parad — People crowd the streets during Dia de Muertos festivities in Mexico City. [Luis Cortes/Reuters]

During the Day of the Dead celebrations that take place in late October and early November in Mexico, the living remember and honour their dearly departed, but with celebration — not sorrow.

It is believed that during the Day of the Dead — or Dia de Muertos — they are able to commune with their deceased loved ones.

No one knows when the first observance took place, but it is rooted in agriculture-related beliefs from Mexico’s pre-Hispanic era, said Andres Medina, a researcher at the Anthropological Research Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

“In that mythology, the corn is buried when it’s planted and leads an underground life for a period to later reappear as a plant,” Medina said. The grain of corn is seen as a seed, comparable to a bone, which is seen as the origin of life.

Today, skeletons are central to Day of the Dead celebrations, symbolising a return of the bones to the living world. Like seeds planted under soil, the dead disappear temporarily only to return each year like the annual harvest.

Altars are core to the observance as well. Families place photographs of their ancestors on their home altars, which include decorations cut out of paper and candles.

The way Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead continues to evolve.

“Nowadays there’s an influence of American Halloween in the celebration,” Medina said. “These elements carry a new meaning in the context of the original meaning of the festival, which is to celebrate the dead. To celebrate life.”

In 2016, the government started a popular annual parade in Mexico City that concludes in a main square featuring altars built by artisans from across the country.

Paola Valencia, originally from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, said the residents of her hometown, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan, take a lot of time to build large altars each year. They are a source of pride for the whole community.

“Sometimes I feel like crying. Our altars show who we are. We are very traditional and we love to feel that they (the dead) will be with us at least once a year,” she said.

A woman's hand on the ground holding flowers. — Catholic traditions were incorporated into the celebration after the Spanish conquest in 1521. A devotee struggles to arrive on her knees to the altar of "Nuestra Senora de la Santa Muerte," or Our Lady of Holy Death, in Mexico City. [Fernando Llano/AP Photo]

A man sits next to a portrait and clothes of a family member who died recently — Altars are adorned with offerings of items once beloved by those now gone. This could include cigars, a bottle of mezcal or a plate of mole, tortillas and chocolates. [Raquel Cunha/Reuters]

Artisans and neighbours decorate the streets for the celebration of the Day of the Dead — Artisans and neighbours decorate the streets with skeletons for the celebration of the Day of the Dead, in Mexico City, Mexico, on October 27, 2022. [Luis Cortes/Reuters]

People take part in the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. [Luis Cortes/ Reuters]

A man dressed up as a Mariachi and with his face painted as a skull — A man dressed up as a mariachi and with his face painted as a skull participates in the traditional Mayan commemoration of the dead "Hanal Pixan" or "Parade of the Souls" during Day of the Dead celebrations, in Merida, Mexico. [Lorenzo Hernandez/Reuters]

Musicians play their instruments around a grave — Typically, celebrations are an intimate family tradition observed with home altars and visits to local cemeteries to decorate graves with flowers and sugar skulls. People bring their deceased loved ones' favourite foods and hire musicians to perform their favourite songs. [Agustin Marcarian/Reuters]

Indigenous people decorate the graves of their loved ones at a cemetery during the annual Day of the Dead celebrations. [Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/ Reuters]

A woman sits next to a grave during the Day of the Dead at a cemetery in the Purepecha Indigenous community of Cucuchuchu. [Raquel Cunha/ Reuters]

A boy with his body painted to resemble a skeleton — A boy has his body painted at the traditional Mayan commemoration of the dead Hanal Pixan or "Parade of the Souls”. [Lorenzo Hernandez/ Reuters]

People with their faces painted as skulls participate in Day of the Dead celebrations. [Lorenzo Hernandez/Reuters]

An indigenous woman sits by the grave of her relative — An Indigenous woman sits by the grave of her relative. [Jorge Luis Plata/ Reuters]