Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Mexican Barbie gets in on the holiday

Today, Nov. 1, is Día de los Muertos. It’s a time when people celebrate the lives of those who've passed on -- a time to remember family members, close friends, pets, even strangers, perhaps all of humanity.

The Mexican American holiday holds a special place for many people as a way to grieve those who have died and keep their memory alive.

• La Calavera Catrina ("The Skull Belle")
• Day of the Dead in Mexico | Celebration in Cancun and Xcaret Park | Dia de Muertos

Catrina beauty contest winner in Los Angeles

People usually celebrate with an ofrenda or offering altar that has photos of their loved ones, their favorite meals, orange marigolds, pan de muerto [bread for the dead, dead bread, soul cake offerings], sugar skull candies, and other items that have special meaning to those being remembered.

Home altar feels like Halloween

In celebration of the holiday, LAist.com asked readers: "What is a memory of a loved one you would like to share for Día de los Muertos?"

LAist heard from people across Southern California about those favorite moments. This digital ofrenda is meant to highlight those memories.

The Day of the Dead and the story of La Catrina | Mexican animated tale

Remembering loved ones

Offerings (ofrendas) to benefit the deceased who are grateful to be remembered by the living

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Photos of the dead on home altar

Joanne Pineda of Monterey Park (a small city in the San Gabriel Valley of LA County) has made a tradition of celebrating Día de los Muertos with her family. She said she’ll always remember the time when her dad asked her mom to dance to Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” in the living room.

(News 4 San Antonio) The origins and meaning of Dia de los Muertos

“Thinking about it now really brings me tears because it just brought them so much joy. It brought them close together,” Pineda said. “For me to be there, to see that, how special it was to them I just think about it all the time.” More

Coco (by Pixar/Disney)

• VIDEO: "Day of the Dead" catches on in the U.S.
• David Rodriguez and Gillian Morán Pérez, LAist.com, "Angelenos are celebrating Día de los Muertos. Here’s who they’re honoring today," Nov. 1, 2025; Crystal Q., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

American Day of the Dead (Nov. 1)

What is the Day of the Dead?

Buddhist saint who saved his mother from hell

(ReligionForBreakfast) Writer: Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut. Editor: Mark Henry. Executive producers: Daniel Cuevas, Jay Gotschalk, Producer: Lyndsay Ballew.  Further reading: R. Andrew Chesnut, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, 2011. RFB Patreon community: religionforbreakfast.

• In Buddhism, HOW can we transfer our merit (good karma) to benefit the grateful dead, the dearly departed, those who have gone beyond so that it gets to them today?
• Buddhist Saint Mulian rescues his mother

The Aztec Lady of the Dead: Mictēcacihuātl

Does beauty lure and lead us to Death?

(Lady of the Library): Cinzia DuBois is a part-time, self-funded doctoral (Ph.D.) student and writer, YouTuber, and podcaster. She has been creating videos for over 15 years. On this channel she talks about dark and ancient history, literature, and folklore. On a second channel, she discusses productivity, personal development, her doctoral thesis, academia, and mental well-being.

Aztec Goddess the Lady of the Dead

Mictēcacihuātl ("Lady of the Dead"), in Aztec mythology, is a [goddess] death deity and the consort of Mictlāntēcutli, the god of the dead [like Buddhism's Judge Yama in the underworld also known as Yama in Hinduism] and ruler of Mictlān, the lowest level of the underworld [1].

Her role is to watch over the bones of the dead and preside over the ancient festivals of the dead. These festivals evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with invading Spanish traditions. She now presides over the contemporary festival as well. In this respect, the pseudo-Catholic cult of Santa Muerte owes much to her. More

Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte

Devoted to Death (Chesnut)

The third edition of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint offers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte [female Saint Death], a skeleton saint whose cult has become the fastest growing new religious movement worldwide over the past two decades.

Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions in Latin America, the USA, and beyond. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other giants of Mexican religiosity.

Folk Saint Death

(RFB) Santa Muerte: The Mexican (Catholic) Folk Saint of Death

Aztec St. Muerte, Tepito, MX

In particular, Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of fentanyl and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers.

Yet, Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints of both the Latin American and American religious landscapes. More

(AJ+) Condemned by the Catholic Church, St. Death gathers devotees

Dark Tales and Myths from History: ✨ Support on Patreon: cinzia. 💌 Newsletter: tinyurl.com/4j3rhdkm 🎥 Productivity channel: theclassicalacademic. 🎙 Podcast on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1zQ7J1g... 📩 Episode request form: tinyurl.com/2db5a7ar. 🌍 Website/blog: ladyofthelibrary.com. SOCIALS: 📚 Goodreads: c-dubois.

• Religion for Breakfast, Oct. 24, 2021; R. Andrew Chesnut (book); Cinzia DuBois, Sept. 5, 2023; AZTLAN (song); AJ+, 2015; Crystal Quintero, Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hollywood's Halloween vs. Irish Samhain

University of Edinburgh, Oct. 31, 2016

Samhain (SOW-in) or Sauin is a Gaelic festival in Ireland that falls on the Mexican Day of the Dead, Nov. 1st, marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year [1].

It is also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name for November. Celebrations begin on Halloween, the evening of October 31st, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset [1].

Let's go apologize to the witches in Salem, MA

(History on Maps) History of [Christian/Celtic] Halloween (animation)

Hollow weenie "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" - Dr. Seuss

Keith David, "Oogie Boogie," live for 2025 at the Hollywood Bowl

Richard Darbois, Henri Poirier: Le Boogie Blues ("L'Étrange Noël de Jack")

"This is Halloween," Danny Elfman (metal cover by Clint Robinson)

(Rain Paris) "This is Halloween" rock cover

The seasons and festivals of Ireland

This is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa.

Historically it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Its Brittonic Celtic equivalent is Calan Gaeaf in Wales. More

The Citizens of Halloween: "This is Halloween" (from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas")

• Jack nabs Santa | Nightmare Before Xmas | Disney Kids

(DisneyMusicVEVO) Oct. 14, 2021: Stream “Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” on Disney+, the only place to stream favorites from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more [because there's absolutely nowhere else to stream. All hail the Disney Corporation!]

(BbaGumpSkrimp) The Making of The Nightmare Before Christmas

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

It was a time of innocent childishness and evil.

Remember waiting all October for Linus to see the Great Pumpkin? This Halloween classic wasn’t just wholesome—it changed American (and Canadian) TV forever. From hidden gags to production secrets and the real reason it almost got banned, here are 10 wild facts about It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! most people didn’t know. Relive the magic of a simpler time. More

Disney Halloweens used to be easy: skeletons

(Lyric Noel) "This is Halloween" (female metal cover)

• Gho$temane; The Vintage Vault (1966); Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Disney; Holiday History; BbaGumpSkrimp; Ghostemane; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Halloween is here (Last Week Tonight)

There were more giants back then (B. Foerster).

At such a festive time in Asia with Kathina (end of the Rains Retreat celebration, Buddhism's Carnivale/Easter) and Diwali (Festival of Lights), the Occident settles in for the foggy time of mystery, the cooling months of irritated monsters (who seem to dwell in the massive cave U.S. systems that correspond to many unsolved missing persons cases) and hungry ghouls (yakkhas, rakshasas, ogres, some Sasquatches, jinn, giants, nagas, petas, shapeshifters), the strengthening and fattening time before the frost kills off the weak.

We're sicker and poorer with Medicare Advantage (fake Medicare)

Medicare Advantage: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

(History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday) The Best of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Medicare Advantage in the afterlife: death.

(LastWeekTonight) Oct. 26, 2025: John Oliver details what "Medicare Advantage" is (it's not Medicare), why it basically has all the pitfalls of private insurance and few of the benefits, and the economic significance of novelty slippers. You’ll see. Subscribe to the #lastweektonight YouTube channel for more almost news as it almost happens (lastweektonight) or find on favorite social media platforms the show may or may not have discussed at length: #lastweektonight

Elvira: How burned girl became sexy Mistress of the Dark

(Grunge) Elvira: How She Became Mistress of the Dark

There's so much more to Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson than meets the eye

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