Festivals around the world, month by month

Families remember and welcome back the souls of their loved ones who have died. The mood is warm and often cheerful rather than sad. UNESCO listed it as intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

On the day: People build home altars (ofrendas) with photos, candles, orange marigolds and the favourite food and drink of the dead, and decorate graves; in places such as Pátzcuaro and Janitzio families spend the whole night in the cemetery.