Mexico celebrates nationwide Day of Dead festivities

Mexico is observing Day of the Dead on Nov. 1–2, with festivities that start in October. The holiday blends pre-Hispanic agricultural beliefs with Catholic traditions added after the 1521 Spanish conquest. Families prepare home ofrendas with photographs, food, sweets and mezcal, use marigolds believed to guide spirits, buy pan de muerto and gather in cemeteries on the night of Nov. 1. People in skull makeup marched in Merida’s Paseo de las Animas parade on Oct. 30, 2026. Elder Neil L. Andersen spoke in a video filmed Oct. 14, 2026 at Oaxaca’s General Cemetery with his wife Kathy Andersen. He called Día de Muertos meaningful and beautiful, said those who crossed the veil remain part of life through names, stories and love, and taught that temple ordinances unite generations so family bonds can endure forever through the Resurrection. The video showed families at home ofrendas. Janitzio authorities closed its UNESCO-recognized 2008 cemetery to tourists for the first time this year after the community council reported overcrowding collapsed damaged tombs, crosses and wall sections. Only local families and friends may enter. Mexico City’s parade, created for the 2015 Spectre film, is debated as not traditional.