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Today, Google is honouring Day of the Dead 2023 with a Google Doodle. Also known as Día de los Muertos, in Mexico, this holiday is celebrated from November 1 to November 2 and is a time for families to honour loved ones who have passed away.
Although it is a traditional Mexican festivity, it has gained popularity around the world due to its beautiful bright colours and creative face paint and costumes.
And, if you're in London, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate Day of the Dead this year. For example, Tacos El Pastor and Mezcaleria Colmillo are collaborating to throw a party series in honour of the day.
Here's some more information about the festival.
When is Day of the Dead?
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Traditionally, festivities begin on October 31 for Halloween. Then Day of the Dead celebrations start from November 1 and run until November 2. Over this time, it is believed the gates of Heaven open to allow the spirits of deceased ancestors to reunite with their families for 24 hours.
The festival combines indigenous Aztec rituals with Catholicism.
Day of the Dead acknowledges death as a natural part of the human experience, believing that the dead would be insulted by mourning or sadness.
On November 1, it is believed the spirits of deceased children return to Earth. On November 2, it is believed deceased adults come back to their families for a day.
From November 1 to 2, families visit cemeteries to decorate the graves of their relatives. There are usually parties and celebrations to mark the occasion.
What does Día de los Muertos mean?
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Día de los Muertos literally means Day of the Dead.
Other names associated with the festival are Día de los Inocentes, which translates to Day of the Innocents, and Día de los Angelitos, which means Day of the Little Angels.
Why is it celebrated at the same time as Halloween?
Day of the Dead celebrations developed among pre-Columbian cultures. The ancient festival, which has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years, originally fell on the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, around the beginning of August, and lasted a whole month.
Traditionally, the festival celebrated a goddess known as Lady of the Dead. In modern days, La Calavera Catrina has become an icon for the celebrations, after a famous etching by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada.
In the late 20th century, many Mexicans had altered the holiday to celebrate the dead and moved the celebrations to correspond with Halloween and the Catholic tradition of All Saints Day, celebrated in late October and early November.
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What happens on Day of the Dead?
Prior to the festival, people create altars to commemorate the deceased. Intricate cloths are placed on the altar, which are then usually decorated with candles, flowers, fruits, and snacks such as tamales, as well as water to quench the thirst of the souls.
Over the three-day period, families visit the graves of loved ones and bring them gifts. Gifts can range from sombre to humorous. Toys are brought for children, whereas tequila is often left for deceased adults. Families lay flowers on graves; the most common flower used is the Mexican marigold.
Mexican schoolchildren often make a children’s altar to welcome the spirits of dead children back to visit. Alongside this, most family homes and government offices will have decorated altars to honour the dead.
Why do Mexicans wear sugar skull face paint and costumes?
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The origins of the skull motifs often seen around Día de los Muertos can be traced back to Aztec civilisations, when they also used skull imagery to honour their dead.
More recently, in the 1910s, José Guadalupe Posada created a print of a figure called La Calavera Catrina (Dapper Skull).
The image depicts a woman with a skull for a face and was originally made to mock Mexican upper-class women, who were adopting European traditions.
This style of imagery is now called sugar skulls and has become the most familiar symbol of the Day of the Dead, popularising the skull motif still further.
Today, people paint their faces as calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls) and many dress up as Catrina. Skulls made of chocolate and sugar are often given as gifts to the deceased.