Observance Daily What day is today, and why are we celebrating it?
Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican celebration held on November 1–2 honouring deceased loved ones. Rather than a time of mourning, it is a celebration of life, when families welcome the spirits of the departed home for a brief visit.
History of Día de los Muertos
Its roots go back thousands of years to the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica, including the Aztec, Toltec and other Nahua peoples, whose rituals honouring the dead were originally held in summer and presided over by Mictecacihuatl, the “Lady of the Dead”. Death in these cultures was not an ending to be feared but a stage of existence to be acknowledged, and the summer festivals were joyful occasions.
In the 16th century, after the Spanish arrival, these customs blended with the Catholic feasts of All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2), and the celebration moved to early November. The result is a distinctive fusion: indigenous symbols and Catholic calendar, pre-Hispanic ritual and Christian feast, layered together over centuries.
In 2008, UNESCO inscribed Mexico’s “Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead” on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising the celebration as a living tradition of outstanding cultural value.
Traditions of Día de los Muertos
The heart of the celebration is the ofrenda — the home altar. Families build ofrendas decorated with photos of the departed, candles to light their way, water and salt for their journey, and copal incense whose smoke carries prayers upward. The bright orange cempasúchil, or marigold, is everywhere: its colour and scent are said to guide spirits home, and paths of petals are laid from the street to the altar.
Food and drink play a central part. Families prepare the departed’s favourite dishes and set them on the ofrenda, along with pan de muerto — the sweet “bread of the dead” — and calaveras, the decorated sugar skulls that have become the celebration’s most recognisable symbol. After the spirits have symbolically partaken, the living share the food.
Two days: November 1 and November 2
The two days have their own character. November 1 is traditionally dedicated to children — the Día de los Angelitos, the day of the little angels — when the spirits of departed children are welcomed home. November 2 honours adults. Together they make the turn of the month a sustained act of remembrance, with cemeteries cleaned, decorated and visited by night.
Why Día de los Muertos matters
Día de los Muertos treats death as part of life rather than its opposite. By welcoming the departed home with food, flowers and music, it turns grief into hospitality and remembrance into celebration. That outlook — and the UNESCO recognition it earned in 2008 — has made it one of the world’s most widely recognised festivals of remembrance, and a defining image of Mexican culture.
Día de los Muertos: frequently asked questions
When is Día de los Muertos? It is held on November 1–2 each year.
Is it “Mexican Halloween”? No. Although it follows Halloween on the calendar and shares the season with All Saints’ Day, it is a celebration of life and remembrance, not of fear.
What is an ofrenda? A home altar built for the celebration, decorated with photos of the departed, candles, water, salt, copal incense and marigolds.
What are sugar skulls? Calaveras — decorated sugar skulls placed on ofrendas and given as gifts, a playful rather than frightening image of death.
Where is it celebrated? Primarily in Mexico, and also by Mexican communities in the United States and elsewhere; in recent decades it has become widely known internationally.
What did UNESCO recognise? In 2008, UNESCO inscribed Mexico’s “Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead” on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Related November 1 observances
Día de los Muertos shares its dates with All Saints’ Day, the Christian feast with which its customs blended after the Spanish arrival.
Read more about November 1 on November 1 Holidays, Observances and History.