Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, is Mexico's most beloved and moving celebration, a UNESCO tradition in which, around the start of November, families joyfully welcome back the souls of their dead. Homes and cemeteries fill with marigold-strewn altars, or ofrendas, laden with photographs, food, candles and sugar skulls, and communities gather to remember loved ones with music, feasting and colour rather than mourning.

What you actually see

• The ofrendas - the marigold-strewn altars laden with offerings.
• The candlelit graves - the cemeteries lit and decorated overnight.
• Sugar skulls and pan de muerto - the sweets and bread of the dead.
• The parades and costumes - the painted faces and Catrina figures.

When to go

The celebration centres on the nights of the 1st and 2nd of November, with build-up in late October; Oaxaca, the towns around Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan, and Mexico City are among the most vivid places to witness it.

Honest expectations

It is a genuine, sacred family occasion, not a show, so visitors should be respectful, especially in cemeteries, asking before photographing people and their altars. The most famous places, like Patzcuaro and Oaxaca, get very crowded. The big Mexico City parade is a modern invention, not the traditional heart of it.

Nearby

Oaxaca, Michoacan and Mexico City offer the most vivid celebrations, each with its own traditions.