Monday, November 3, 2008

Day of the Dead festival


In many parts of Latin America, as well as the Philippines, people have been marking the Day of the Dead festival in honour of deceased relatives.
In the Philippines, millions of Catholics congregate with family members at the gravesides of dead loved ones to celebrate their memory.

Here, a boy is silhouetted as he cleans a cross marking the grave of a loved one in a Manila cemetery.

In Mexico, the Day of the Dead combines native Aztec and Roman Catholic practices and beliefs.

Mexicans hold their Day of the Dead on the Catholic festivals of All Saints and All Souls Days on 1 and 2 November.
A sculpture of La Catrina, a symbol representing death in Mexican folklore, in the Zocalo, Mexico City

Various sculptures of La Catrina - a symbol representing death in Mexican folklore - adorn town squares and altars across the country.

Other traditions include building altars honouring dead relatives, using sugar skulls and flowers as well as the favourite foods and drinks of the deceased.

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