Carnival vibes -- and a lot of skulls -- were on the streets of Mexico as the country prepared for the Day of the Dead with parades and public displays.

The Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday where skulls and catrinas (an elegant, feminine skull associated with the festival) are central to festivities.

The tradition, declared by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, celebrates the temporary return of the souls of the dead to the world of the living.

On this day, the spirits coexist with their relatives and are nourished by the essence of the food offered to them in the altars set up in their honour.

It is a ritual of memory, in which death represents a living presence and which privileges memory over oblivion. It also brings together families, who gather to welcome their loved ones returning from the beyond.

The video shows
1. Altars in Oaxaca (October 31, 2023)
2. Offerings in Mexico City (Images in association with David Arcos).
3. Catrinas parade on Paseo de la Reforma (October 24, 2023. Images in association with David Arcos).
4. Parade on Paseo de la Reforma (archive: October 30, 2016. Illustrative images and in association with David Arcos).

This footage was filmed and produced 31 October 2023.

Mexico prepares to celebrate the Day of the Dead, the traditional holiday where skulls and catrinas are the protagonists.

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition, declared by Unesco as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which celebrates the transitory return of the souls of the dead to the world of the living. On this day, the spirits coexist with their relatives and are nourished by the essence of the food offered to them in the altars set up in their honor.

It is a ritual of memory, in which death represents a living presence that materializes in the altar offered, which privileges memory over oblivion, and during which families gather to welcome their loved ones returning from the beyond.

SHOTLIST:
1. Altars in Oaxaca;
2. Offerings in Mexico City (Images in association with David Arcos);
3. Catrinas parade on Paseo de la Reforma (October 24, 2023. Images in association with David Arcos);
4. Parade on Paseo de la Reforma (archive: October 30, 2016. Illustrative images and in association with David Arcos).