
Día de Muertos 2024 is a celebration of love, remembrance, and family. Living in the United States, fall has always been my favorite season. The days feel just right as the summer heat fades and the cool breeze sets in. But there’s another reason why I adore fall—because of Día de Muertos, one of the most vibrant and meaningful celebrations! Often mistaken for Halloween because it falls so close on the calendar, Dia de Muertos 2024 is entirely different.
On November 1st and 2nd each year, it’s believed that the spirits of our loved ones who have passed can cross over and visit us. November 1st is dedicated to children who have passed—angelitos or “little angels”—while November 2nd is for adults. The celebration isn’t a time for grief but a joyous occasion to celebrate the lives of those we’ve lost. Let’s dive into how you can join the traditions and celebrate Día de Muertos 2024!
6 Beautiful Ways to Celebrate Día de Muertos 2024
1. A Heartfelt Tradition
At the heart of Dia de Muertos 2024 celebrations will be the ofrendas, or altars, lovingly created to welcome the spirits back to the world of the living. These altars are personal and filled with symbols representing the life and personality of the honored person. We decorate them with vibrant papel picado (cut paper banners), cempazuchitl flowers, candles, and photos of the deceased.
Along with these, we offer their favorite foods and drinks—sometimes a favorite meal or even sweets. However, we take it a step further in our home with miniature skeleton figurines for each family member we’ve lost. For example, I have a skeleton carpenter representing my son’s father and a railroad conductor for my grandfather. These figures honor their memory and add a sense of familiarity and connection.
The personal touches on an ofrenda tell stories of love, laughter, and life well-lived. As we set up these altars, it’s a time for reflection and storytelling. For me, it’s a way to share memories with my son about family members he never met, keeping their legacies alive.
2. A Feast for the Senses
No celebration is complete without food, and Dia de Muertos 2024 is no exception. In Mexican culture, food isn’t just sustenance; it’s a way of bringing people together in life and memory. One of the iconic foods for this celebration is Pan de Muerto—a soft, slightly sweet bread often sprinkled with sugar and shaped with bone-like designs. It’s more than just a treat; it symbolizes the circle of life and death.
Tamales are another staple at our table, made with care and love, just as my abuelita taught me. We make them every year, not only for our family to enjoy but also as offerings on the altars. The belief is that, though the spirits cannot physically eat the food, they enjoy the aroma and essence of the dishes prepared with love. The food brings comfort to the living and the souls of the deceased.
3. Guiding the Spirits Home
The bright orange and yellow cempazuchitl (marigold) flowers are synonymous with Día de Muertos. Their robust and earthy scent is believed to help guide spirits back to the land of the living. These flowers are used everywhere during the celebration—on altars, in homes, and even scattered along paths to the gravesites or ofrendas.
In our tradition, we create a cempazuchitl pathway that starts at the door of our home and leads to the ofrenda. The petals act as a trail, guiding the spirits to their offerings and us. This beautiful and symbolic use of flowers has a rich history and adds to the visual splendor of the celebration. The marigolds represent the fragility of life and are believed to attract spirits with their bright colors and distinctive smell.
4. Embracing Death as Part of Life
Perhaps one of the most recognizable symbols of Dia de Muertos is the colorful skulls, or Calaveras, and skeletons, known as calacas. Far from being morbid, these symbols represent a joyous acceptance of death as a natural part of life. They can be seen everywhere during the celebration—on decorations, masks, and even food.
Sugar skulls, a key element, originated from the indigenous traditions of Mexico, dating back to the Aztec empire. These skulls were made from sugar and decorated with intricate, colorful designs, often bearing the names of deceased family members. Today, they are used as decorative pieces for altars, a sweet reminder that death is part of the human experience and should be embraced with color and laughter, not fear.
In my home, we have hand-painted sugar skulls that stay up all year. Each skull is a piece of art, a reminder of the beauty and vibrancy of life and the importance of joyfully celebrating our ancestors.
5. Visiting Gravesites: A Family Tradition of Honor and Love
For many, Día de Muertos is a time to visit the final resting places of loved ones. Families gather at cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of their departed with flowers, candles, and offerings. It’s a chance to reconnect with the spirit of those who have passed and make their resting place welcoming.
Some families even spend the night at the cemetery, sharing meals, stories, and music, truly celebrating life and memory. In our family, we bring my son along, sharing the stories of our loved ones, lighting candles, and decorating the graves with their favorite flowers and foods. It’s a tradition that connects us with the past and each other.
6. Let’s Celebrate Día de Muertos 2024: A Joyous Celebration of Life
At its core, Día de Muertos 2024 is about joy, not sorrow. It’s a celebration of life, not just death. We remember the loved ones we’ve lost not with tears but with laughter, stories, and their favorite things. In my family, I love to share the stories of my son’s father with him and cook the recipes passed down from my abuelita.
This celebration reminds us that, while life is fleeting, our impact on others lasts forever. As we honor our loved ones who have passed, we also celebrate the richness of our time with them—and the memories that continue to bring us comfort and happiness.
Día de Muertos 2024 will be a celebration to reflect on the beautiful cycle of life and death. Whether you’re building an ofrenda, sharing a meal, or visiting a gravesite, each tradition is a way of keeping the memories of our loved ones alive and close to our hearts. So, this year, embrace the colors, the music, the laughter, and the love that comes with Día de Muertos. Celebrate the lives of those you’ve lost, and remember that, in many ways, they’re still with you.
Written by Gail Encerrado – Bilingual Teacher at Bilingual Bridges
Updated by Ibeth Muñoz – Curriculum & Instruction Specialist at Bilingual Bridges