Day of the Dead in Mexico: Spanish words and phrases

Almost every word here is something you can put on an ofrenda, and that is the point: the vocabulary of the Day of the Dead is the vocabulary of hospitality. Learn it as a list of what a guest would like, because that is how families think of it.

The talk is about people, not about death: who is in the photo, what they liked, who is being remembered. Le, to him or to her, does the work in le ponemos su comida, and it treats the dead person as someone you still do things for.

These are the phrases of a guest, and they matter more than any vocabulary: asking before a photo, saying con permiso as you pass, thanking people for receiving you. Se puede plus a verb asks whether something is allowed without pointing at anyone.

Signs here are mostly nouns with one describing word: pan recién horneado, horario extendido. Spanish puts the describing word after the noun, so read the first word to know what it is about and the rest to know what kind.

Halloween reached Mexico from the United States, and some families now mark both, with children in costumes on the 31st. The Day of the Dead is far older, with roots in Indigenous rites, and it is not about fear. Death is treated with familiarity and humour, and the dead are guests.

1 November is traditionally for children who have died, los angelitos, and 2 November for adults. Customs vary from region to region, and some places begin on 28 or 31 October.

The Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead has been on UNESCO's list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity since 2008. Two of the best known places to see it are Mixquic in Mexico City and Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán.