Day of the Dead: marigold paths that guide loved ones home

What is Day of the Dead?

Día de Muertos blends the traditions of Mexico's Indigenous peoples with the Catholic feasts of All Saints' and All Souls' Day. Families believe that the souls of the dead come back to visit: children who have died on 1 November, and adults on 2 November.

It is a warm and colourful holiday. Graves are cleaned and decorated, candles burn through the night, and the stories of the people being remembered are told again. UNESCO inscribed the Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2008.

When is Day of the Dead? Dates for 2026 and 2027

The days themselves are fixed: 1 and 2 November. Many families set up their altar in the last days of October. Mexico City sets the date of its big parade each year, and the 2027 parade has not been announced yet.

How people celebrate

• Ofrendas, home altars with photos, candles, water, salt, pan de muerto and the foods and drinks the person loved.
• Paths of cempasúchil (Mexican marigold) petals, whose colour and scent are said to guide the souls home.
• Calaveras: sugar skulls with names written on them, and playful verses that joke about death. In some towns, such as Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, families keep vigil in the cemetery through the night.

Good to know

• Mexico City's famous parade is recent: it was first held in 2016, inspired by the opening scene of the James Bond film Spectre.
• La Catrina, the elegant skeleton lady seen everywhere, comes from an early 20th-century print by José Guadalupe Posada; Diego Rivera later gave her the name and her famous dress in a mural.
• Visiting a cemetery during the festival? Families usually welcome respectful visitors, but ask before photographing an altar.