The Day of the Dead, or el Día de Los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday that marks the reunion of deceased souls with their families. As per Mexican tradition, on the Day of the Dead, families celebrate the coming back of the souls of their dead relatives and share food and drink with them like they used to do when those deceased were alive. I think this tradition is so cool, and I even have it on my list of The Best Parties In The World.
This day is a blend of Spanish, Mesoamerican, and European religions. It is a weeklong affair surrounding events from October 31 to November 2. For 2022, October 31 is noche de brujas, November 1 is Day of the Innocents, and November 2 is the actual Day of the Dead.
While Dia De Los Muertos can refer to the entire 3 day affair, it also refers to November 2 when all the deceased adult souls reunite with their families.
In Oaxaca, preparations start a week before the start of Dia de Los Muertos (or, as you soon learn, what the locals refer to simply as “Dia de Muertos” or just “Muertos”). Markets around the city begin offering all the supplies needed to prepare for the holiday. Families shop at markets and return home to begin preparations and build their altars. Ofrendas are set up throughout the city and decorations are everywhere!
Day of the Dead Festival in Mexico City
If you plan to celebrate the day of the dead festival in Mexico City, here are a few traditions you need to know about.
Parade
The day of the dead marks a parade in Mexico city known as the Great Day of the Dead Parade or El Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos. During the parade, you will observe some great Mexican ancestral traditional displays. These include skeleton puppets, alebrijes (spirit creatures in mythology), catrinas, moving altars, skulls, dancers, and a lot more.
To attend the Day of the dead parade in Mexico city every year, millions of people visit the downtown area. You will see hundreds of thousands of people with their face painted, dressed up in costumes, and eating Day of the Dead snacks (YUM!).
A calavera is the representation of a human skull 
My amazing face paint 
Sugar skulls! 
So many cool parade floats 
Monumental Ofrendas in Zocalo
Another must-do activity on the day of the dead is a visit to the Monumental Ofrendas in Zocalo, which is the main plaza. This is a magnanimous plaza where different statures appear every month dressed up according to the year’s theme. You will find great ofrendas, i.e., altars on the plaza that honors the deceased.
The ofrendas are a significant part of the Mexican city’s celebration and are all around the plaza on this day. As we mentioned earlier, all these ofrendas are themed differently every year. Similarly, you will be able to find people performing traditional dances towards the peripherals of the plaza.
Visiting the Cemeteries
This is one activity that I missed but had a lot of people telling me I should have gone! Most Mexican families visit their dead relatives in the cemeteries and reunite with them every year. The graves are decorated with fresh flowers, and candles, while serving many food and drinks.
Different families have different customs of visiting the graves, and there is no wrong or right way to do that. Once they are done doing all the celebrations (i.e. dancing and eating the traditional food), they leave the deceased’s favorite dishes for them to enjoy in the afterlife.
If you visit Mexico on the day of the dead festival, you will find many cemeteries decorated and all lit up. But to get the best experience of these decorated panteones, you can visit the best cemetery in Mexico City, called the far-flung community of Mixquic.
Eat Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)
Pan de Muerto is a special bread you can find all over Mexico on the day of the dead. You can easily find it in bakeries, sweet shops, and supermarkets. It’s a traditional practice to eat this bread during the day of the dead celebrations in remembrance of deceased relatives.
This bread is generally round with shapes on top that symbolize bones. This is a tribute to the deceased souls. Traditionally, the bread of the dead is soft, fluffy, and sweet bread topped with sugar dusting and sesame seeds.
If you ever visit Mexico city on the day of the dead festival, you wouldn’t want to skip this one.
Other things to do in Mexico City
There are plenty of other things to do in Mexico City if you have the time:
- Xochimilco – Fun boat rides through canals outside of the city. Bring a speaker and some drinks!
- Teotihuacán – Try a hot air balloon ride here, or just climb the pyramids
- Chapultepec Park – Climb up a big hill to view a castle that sits on top with gorgeous views
Day of the Dead Festival in Oaxaca City
Inside the Mexican state of Oaxaca, the capital city is Oaxaca City (or Oaxaca de Juárez or simply Oaxaca). It is just a few hours south of Mexico City by bus. Some of the traditions that mark the day of the dead celebrations in Oaxaca City are as follows:
Altars in Oaxaca
One of the most common traditions of the Day of the Dead festival in Oaxaca City is the altar. You will see the ropes of marigold flowers on different streets, and most local shops can be seen setting up altars.
On these altars, you can find all things featuring the Oaxacan traditions, but the most prominent one is the Oaxacan cuisine, local fruits, and chocolates. All of this is present, along with the pictures of the spirits that are supposed to visit during the day of the dead.
Sand Tapestries
Oaxaca city is famous for its art scene and creative designs. This is a significant part of their celebrations, too, and the day of the dead festival is no exception. Artists make the beautiful and enchanting day of the dead sand tapestries on this day. These are also known as tapetes de arena.
These tapestries are put in front of the altars and feature skeletons, saints, and other things related to souls and spirits. Another thing regarding these tapestries is the tapestries contest, where they use rice seeds, flowers, and even dried beans to make them.
Cemeteries Visitation
This is another common tradition that is also in Oaxaca. In the Oaxacan language, the name of this tradition is panteón or cementerio. On the dead’s day, you can find families visiting their relatives’ graves, decorating them, and celebrating with music and food.
In addition to decorating the graves using different decorative items, lights, and clothes, the Oaxacan people celebrate this festival by arranging concerts, dances, music fests, and costume contests.
Other things to do in Oaxaca City
- Hierve el Agua – Very beautiful scenery and unique geography
- Santo Domingo Church – Beautiful church in the heart of Oaxaca
Celebrate the Deceased Souls With Us!
Undoubtedly, a trip to Mexico City or Oaxaca City on the day of the dead will blow your mind. You get to experience many Mexican and Oaxacan traditions up close and will get to experience something extremely memorable! Check out this blog for more details on the activities I listed: link.