Photos Of Mexico's Day Of The Dead Celebrations Show That Death Isn't Always Somber

The annual Mexican tradition of celebrating the Day of the Dead brings out performance, costumes, and a whole lot of fun.

By
Kirsten Chilstrom
by Kirsten Chilstrom

BuzzFeed News Photo Editor

Costumed people wearing skull makeup and head gear play flutes and other instruments
Nurphoto / Getty Images

Participants at the Day of the Dead International Parade, part of celebrations at Hemiciclo a Juarez on Oct. 27, 2019, in Mexico City

Each year, cities all over Mexico see streets filled with people dressed in stunning, ornate costumes, their faces painted as skulls, as they come together to celebrate the Day of the Dead, Día de Muertos. The centuries-old tradition maintains that death is a natural part of life and that remembering the dead should be joyful. For the days of festivities, the deceased return to Earth to feast, dance, and party with their loved ones. Especially after a season of darkness and isolation over the pandemic, perhaps a glimpse of these images can encourage and inspire people outside of Mexico to think differently about mourning those who have died.


Person upside down in the air in front of a crowd
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A performer participates in the Day of the Dead parade next to Constitution Square on Nov. 2, 2019, in Mexico City.

Person with skull paint surrounded by ornate head gear with colorful flowers
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A person takes part in the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City on Oct. 27, 2018.

Bright-costumed person wearing skull mask
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Day of the Dead entertainers perform before the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Oct. 29, 2017, in Mexico City.

People wearing skull paint and bright yellow costumes holding guns in the air
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Participants take part during the Day of the Dead International Parade as part of celebrations at Hemiciclo a Juarez on Oct. 27, 2019, in Mexico City.

People in skull makeup and colorful costumes walking
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Young couples, costumed as La Catrina, a Mexican pop culture icon representing Death, walk through town during the Day of the Dead celebration on Nov. 1, 2014, in Morelia, Mexico.

Two women wearing very bright costumes
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Two women characterized as Catrinas on the esplanade of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City on the occasion of the Day of the Dead on Nov. 1, 2020

Jan Sochor / Getty Images

A grave cross, decorated with marigold flowers, is seen at a cemetery during the Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 2, 2019, in Ayutla, Mexico.

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People carry cempasúchil, or Aztec marigold, flowers as they arrive at the local cemetery during the Day of the Dead celebration on Nov. 1, 2013, in San Miguel Canoa, Mexico.

Two people perform next to a structure of vaults lined with recesses for urns
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Musicians play next to a columbarium during the Day of the Dead celebration on Nov. 2, 2014, in Morelia, Mexico.

A person wearing a colorful dress, long white wig, and skull face paint walks in front of a wall with graffiti
Cristopher Rogel Blanquet / Getty Images

A person depicting pre-Hispanic Death walks in the streets of Oaxaca as part of the "Day of the Dead" celebrations on Nov. 2, 2019, in Mexico.

An array of food, including an ear of corn and a bowl of raw vegetables, on a rug and a cloth depicting drawings of skulls and other items
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Food offerings are placed at the altar of the dead, honoring the deceased, during the Day of the Dead celebration on Nov. 1, 2014, in Morelia, Mexico.

A man with a skull mask stands amid other decorations including skeletons
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A man dressed as a calaca, a Mexican icon representing the deceased, walks through the streets during the Day of the Dead parade on Oct. 29, 2016, in Mexico City.

A person wearing a bright red outfit and large, wide-brimmed hat looks at the camera
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Day of the Dead in Mexico City on Nov. 2, 2018

Jan Sochor / Getty Images

Day of the Dead celebrations Oct. 30, 2019, in Oaxaca, Mexico

Brightly colored Mexican folk art sculpture of fantastical creature
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An alebrije is seen in the streets of Mexico City during the Night of Alebrijes parade Oct. 20, 2007.

Jan Sochor / Getty Images

A young man, dressed as a mariachi member, kisses the hand of a young woman, dressed as La Catrina, during the Day of the Dead celebrations Oct. 31, 2019, in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Jan Sochor / Getty Images

A young woman, dressed as La Catrina, plays a flute at a cemetery during the Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 2, 2019, in Ayutla, Mexico.

People with painted skull faces and holding candles walk along the street
Alejandro Medina / AFP via Getty Images

Residents participate in El Paseo de Las Almas, the Walk of Souls, during a Day of the Dead festival in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, on Oct. 28, 2016.


Cristopher Rogel Blanquet / Getty Images

People disguised as devilish clowns pose in the town of Soledad Etla as part of the Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 1, 2019, in Oaxaca, Mexico.

A large skeleton is elevated above the parade crowd
Jan Sochor / Getty Images

A giant calaca, a skeletal figure, is carried on the street during the Day of the Dead celebrations on Oct. 30, 2019, in Oaxaca, Mexico.


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