Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other people, candles and an ofrenda.

Common symbols of the holiday are the calavera (skull) and the calacas (skeleton), which celebrants represent in masks and foods such as sugar or chocolate skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead. Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead. Other holiday foods include pan de muerto, a sweet egg bread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls and rabbits.

Some people believe possessing Day of the Dead items can bring good luck. Many people get tattoos or have dolls of the dead to carry with them. They also clean their houses and prepare the favourite dishes of their deceased loved ones to place upon their altar or ofrenda.

Día de Muerto is not a Mexican version of Halloween. Though related, the two annual events differ greatly in traditions and tone. Whereas Halloween is a dark night of terror and mischief, Day of the Dead festivities unfold over two days in an explosion of colour and life-affirming joy – it is a celebration of life and death!

Marvic Cordina Boutique Travel Specialist

As a Boutique Travel Specialist, I specialize in personalized itineraries and private small groups to destinations across Asia, Latin America, and Southern & Eastern Africa. For more details you can contact me at marvic.cordina@traville.net

DAY OF THE DEATH IN MEXICO

We've all heard about the Day of the Dead or seen the classic sugar skull paintings – but what does this celebration really represent?

The Dia de Muertos (Day of the Death) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico developed from ancient traditions among its pre-Columbian cultures. The festival that developed into the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were dedicated to the goddess known as the "Lady of the Dead", corresponding to the modern La Calavera Catrina.

On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children's altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three day fiesta is filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos, the bread of the dead; sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.

People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favourite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes. These sometimes feature a Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed