From October 31 to November 2, Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead – Día de los Muertos. This event is dedicated to deceased people. Mexicans celebrate this holiday in different ways, but most often their traditions are united by the fact that they dance around an altar with food, dressed in skeleton costumes. Many people choose to dress in Calaveras costumes or use sugar skulls to celebrate this holiday.
Those costumes that are created in honor of the Day of the Dead are remembered for a long time. To resemble Calaveras, Mexicans paint their faces white and additionally decorate them with bright flowers and other decorative motifs. However, this is far from the only option that is used on this holiday. Some people prefer to use monochrome solutions, keeping their faces not only white, but also gray or even black. Regardless of the chosen image, the lips are almost always outlined with black lines, and dark circles are drawn around the eyes so that the face resembles a skull as much as possible.
Additionally, the brightest outfits and complex headdresses are used to highlight the ensemble. At the same time, it is very wrong to think that this is a holiday of fun, colors and spectacles. In fact, this is a tribute to those who have passed on to another world. Each of the details of the costumes is made with great love in honor of those who once died. Even in the process of sewing costumes, stitches are made as a reminder of how much the living people want the dead to be here with them, and how much they miss them.
Some of the costumes for the Day of the Dead are a real symbol of this holiday. Some of them resemble the wings of monarch butterflies, which are quite common in Mexico. People here are so accustomed to them that some are inclined to believe that these are not butterflies, but the migrating souls of deceased loved ones who fly in from time to time for the holiday.
In fact, this day is taken quite seriously by the residents of Mexico, but they prepare for it throughout the year, when they purchase costumes, stock up on makeup, etc.
The central event takes place in Mexico City, where a massive procession takes place called the Catherine Parade. It is Catherine who is the main symbol of the festival. We are talking about a doll of a richly dressed woman, whose head resembles a skull. It represents the fact that death cannot be avoided no matter how much wealth you have accumulated during your lifetime.