Mexico celebrates Day of the Dead, honouring ancestors

Mexico is celebrating the Day of the Dead, or el Día de los Muertos, to honour their ancestors on the 1st and 2nd of November.

The festivities include ofrendas or altars, cemetery visits, skulls, marigolds, traditional foods, parades, and festivals.

The Day of the Dead celebrations are believed to be inspired by the ancient Aztecs’ death rituals which involved making offerings to the dead.

According to the Aztecs, a person’s relationship with the dead is intricate and the dead do not just disappear.

The living need to make offerings to the dead so they can take care of them and guide them through life.

According to Mexicans, the holiday is a “medicine” and a way to connect with your loved ones, as well as heal from their absence.

The event was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008.