70 photos

UPDATE: 30 more images have been added from this year’s Day of the Dead celebrations from all over world.

In some households, November 1st is All Saints’ Day. In others, it’s the Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Both focus on remembering those who have come before us but do so different ways. Where as All Saints’ Day is a Catholic tradition invoking a solemn and prayerful atmosphere, the Day of the Dead is a Mexican celebration filled with vibrant colors, decadent food and lively activities.

Flip through the images below and then read why the Day of the Dead is important to Lorenza Munoz and her family from the LA Times.

Day of the Dead: Giving death its due

The holiday is not at all somber; it is raucous and defiant, loud and garish.

By Lorenza Munoz | LA Times

October 31, 2012

I didn’t plan to set up our annual Day of the Dead altar this year — too much work, I thought. That is, until my daughter called me on it.

When I arranged a few pumpkins near the front door, she asked expectantly, “When will you put up the dead relatives?”

Perhaps “putting up dead relatives” sounds a bit morbid. Perhaps the dancing calacas and catarinas (male and female skeletons, smiling and dressed up in their best outfits) that are a prerequisite for the holiday give the afterlife an unaccustomed vibrancy. One could be forgiven for thinking the Day of the Dead is wacky and a little creepy.

The Mexican way of celebrating All Saints Day, Nov. 1, is not at all somber. It does not carry the quiet reflection of other cultures that contemplate the death of loved ones. It is raucous and defiant, observed by drinking tequila, eating mole and tamales, gorging on sugar skulls and pan de muertos. It is loud and garish, colored bright orange, pink and cobalt blue.

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