You’ve all watched the Disney movie Coco or have seen the famous paintings of calaveras (skulls) so you might know a little about this beautiful tradition, but let’s dig a little deeper into what the celebration entails. In towns throughout Mexico, people celebrate by having their faces painted like skeletons , holding parades and parties, singing and dancing, sharing some mezcal, and building an altar to lost loved ones. Every year we organize a trip to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead where we get to take part in it all. It is something else to witness this all in real life! Even if you can’t join us, we’d like to show you an important aspect in the celebration, which is the altar. The offerings on the altar are believed to encourage visit from the deceased. The scent of the marigolds help guide their way, along with favorite foods and drink. The passage back over back to our side is a long journey after all!

While this years trip is already sold out, there’s always next year where you can experience this all for yourself. Visiting Oaxaca during Day of the Dead is not only something to cross off the bucket list, but a super special tradition to experience for yourself that you will never forget. We are also celebrating by asking all of our Coast to Costa family submit photos here to place on our altar. We’ll be building it and sharing with everyone once finished. We hope to celebrate with you all in some way!