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(CNN) - Families spread large amounts of marigold petals, light candles for their loved ones and some even make up colorful skulls.
Welcome to Day of the Dead.
The Mexican holiday is celebrated during the first two days of November and has nothing to do with Halloween. It is an ode to the next life and a reminder that death is not something to be feared.
If you enjoyed the animated Disney movie “Coco,” here are many ways people celebrate the Day of the Dead party.
Craftsmen make sugar skulls
Skulls were a powerful symbol in Aztec culture, and some were used as a tribute to Mictecacihuatl, the goddess of death. To celebrate the holiday, artisans spend hours transforming sugar, hot water and lime into a caramel-like fondant that they mold into skull-shaped treats of all sizes.
These treats are decorated with frosting, multicolored aluminum foil and sometimes feathers. Calaveritas are mostly edible, but people use them mainly to decorate their altars.
People carefully build altars for the dead
The colorful memorials of various levels are built in houses, schools and public places as a tribute to deceased loved ones. The different levels represent the underworld, the Earth and the sky.
A large photo of the deceased is usually placed on top of the altar with confetti. Sugar skulls, candles, dead bread and Mexican marigolds appear throughout the altar.
The penetrating smell and bright color of fresh marigold petals are intended to guide the spirits to their altars, and the glasses of water are useful to quench the thirst of the dead after their long journey.
Offerings, as the altars are called, are carefully assembled using many traditional elements, but each one is unique in itself. They can be personalized with the dead person's favorite food, memories of their lives and their favorite items. Some altars have books, jewelry, music and clothes on display.
Crowds gather in cemeteries
People go to the cemeteries during the celebration to visit the graves of dead family and friends. But they are not mourning even with empty hands.
After cleaning the graves and gravestones, some decorate them with flowers, marigold petals and light candles. While some come to pray in silence, others serenade their loved ones with mariachi.
People go to the graves every year to keep alive the memory of the deceased in their hearts and in the minds of their family members. They share stories, drink and eat together as if it were a party.
Skeletons walk among the living
To commemorate the Day of the Dead, people parade through the streets with beautiful skulls painted on their faces and costumes to commemorate the holiday.
Women generally paint their faces, wear elegant dresses and hats adorned with feathers and flowers. Actually, they are evoking "La Catrina", a rich skeleton lady with an elegant floral hat. The image, outlined by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada in 1910, was a political satire that made fun of the upper class of Mexico and its negative attitude towards indigenous peoples.
Crowds dance in joyful parades held during the day in numerous cities, or parade together on their way to the cemeteries on Halloween night.
Day of the Dead