This ancient Mexican national holiday Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated at the famous Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Thousands of people in costumes and masks remember their ancestors dancing among Hollywood graves. Here, by the way, lie many celebrities who also liked to have fun during their lifetime, but it's not about them now. The tribute to the deceased is paid on November 1-2 in Mexico. Because of the coincidence of dates and similar subjects, Dia de Los Muertos is sometimes called Mexican Halloween. In Los Angeles, it is celebrated on October 28th.
Traditionally it is believed that during these days, the souls of deceased relatives can visit the living. The living, in turn, really want the souls of their ancestors not to get lost and find their way home. To do this, all around and especially cemeteries are decorated with special ribbons and lights. They set up candles along the roads to mark the way home for the dead. The main symbol of the holiday is the skull. And the most common food these days are sugar skulls, which children adore.
The tradition of the festival includes creating a special altar for the dead relatives. People bring their favourite things and photos of the dead, candles, tequila, sweets, and sugar skulls. The most common flower on the graves is a bright orange marigold. According to popular beliefs, this flower attracts the souls of ancestors and help them find their way to their relatives.
The culmination of the festival is a carnival. A large number of stores in Los Angeles sell special treats, costumes, and masks for this event. And for those who don't have time to buy a mask, make-up artists and costumers work directly at the cemetery. Latin music plays everywhere, everyone dances and sings—performances are even arranged on the graves. A huge stage is built in the centre of the cemetery for a multi-hour concert. The festival ends late at about 2 am.
