Day of the dead meaning and symbols

Deceased loved ones will continue to live in the hearts of those who remember them, but one very special holiday honors the life they led on Earth.

In late October, or so the tradition says, the souls of loved ones return from the afterlife to celebrate and spend time with living relatives on Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which is typically observed on Nov.

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Families, friends and admirers of the deceased prepare ofrendas, or altars, to welcome their loved ones, including pets, back home. The holiday also happens to coincide directly with Catholic holidays All Saint's Day and All Soul’s Day. 

“I feel like this Mexican tradition gives people the opportunity to see death in a different way,” Angie Jimenez, director of the altar program at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles previously told USA TODAY.

The annual tradition has been recognized by Indigenous civilizations in Mexico for over 3,000 years. Elements of Catholicism and Christianity were later incorporated into the In

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