October 31: Families finish setting up home altars (ofrendas) and preparations. Tradition holds that the gates of heaven open at midnight for the spirits of children.
November 1 (Día de los Inocentes or All Saints' Day): Dedicated to remembering and honoring deceased children and infants.
November 2 (All Souls' Day): Dedicated to honoring deceased adults. Families gather at cemeteries to clean graves, light candles, and share food and music.
La Llorona is Spanish for "The Weeping Woman"-according to the traditional legend, she was a beautiful woman who drowned her children in a fit of rage and grief over a lover, and is now cursed to wander near rivers eternally, crying out for them. The legend of La Llorona serves as an oral tradition, cultural icon, and popular cautionary tale, particularly for children to stay away from dangerous waters.
In Mexico, the marigold, known as cempasúchil, is the undeniable flower of Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. It is believed that the flower's vibrant, sunny colour and strong, pungent scent act as a beacon, guiding the spirits of the deceased from the cemetery back to the land of the living.
Families create paths of marigold petals leading to their homes and decorate their ofrendas (altars) with dozens of blooms. Here, the marigold does not symbolize sadness, but rather the beautiful, unbroken connection between life and death, and the joyful remembrance of loved ones.
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