How do they celebrate the day of the dead in Mexico?

It’s the moment to honor our loved ones and support their spiritual journeys. 

We all know about this famous Mexican holiday named Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is an annual celebration where friends and relatives come together to pray for and remember those who have passed. 

Then I’ll tell you how they celebrate the day of the dead in Mexico.

• Let’s make a visit 

Visiting the gravesite of a loved one to spruce up their memorial is one of the first steps of this holiday.

They first lighten the spirit, which means pulling weeds and removing debris from the area before washing the grave marker. 

Then they decor the gravesite with candles, flowers, sugar skulls and the favorite foods of the loved one.

• As a family, cook your loved one’s favorite recipes

Once they are all gathered at home, it’s time to make an afternoon of eating, singing and telling stories about the loved ones. 

Then serve tortilla soup, tamales, chicken mole, and caramel flan. Decorate with pots filled with marigolds and papel picado. Propose a toast to those who have passed and ask people to share their memories.

• Time for bread

Bake Pan del Muerto, a bread characterized by being circular, representing the cycle of life and death, with a small circle at the top, simulating the skull, and four figures of mass in the form of ‘bone’, precisely to represent death.

• Set up an altar at home

The decoration of the altar and rest of the home during this holiday is usually very beautiful. It consists of floral arches, colored paper banners, lit candles, fruits, salt, painted pottery or sugar skulls, photos of loved ones and a door wreath using brightly colored flowers, ribbon and leaves.

• Let’s do sugar skulls

Making sugar skulls is a pleasant moment that everyone spends together. Decorating the skulls with brightly colored icing or making iced sugar cookies shaped like skulls. All these will be displayed on the altar or will be given to others who knew your loved one.

• Attend a Day of the Dead parade

You cannot miss the biggest Día de Los Muertos parades that are made in Mexico, with music, dancing, and lots of giant skulls and skeleton costumes.

• Dress up as a Catrina or Catrín

Add fun and action to your participation in the Day of the Dead parades. Dress like a catrina and look for ideas to create your costumes, makeup and floral crowns.

This is how they celebrate the day of the dead in Mexico. Are you interested in knowing more about this holiday? Learn more about our Day of the Dead Mexico City tour.

Tourist activities in Mexico

Learn more about all the tours Mexico Underground can offer to make your trip an unforgettable experience.

If you’re a food lover, find here all the exquisite tours that Mexican lands can offer to your palate. 

However, if you are an art lover and you want to visit galleries, studios and artistic residencies full of history and art, you can find here the tour that best suits your traveling plans.