Plenty of life in Mexico's Day of the Dead party

MEXICO CITY - Death can be a morbid and solemn subject in many cultures, but in Mexico, it's a cause for celebration - at least for two nights a year.

On Nov 1-2, people throughout the country deck their homes, streets and relatives' graves with flowers, candles, confetti and colorful skulls for the Day of the Dead.

The traditional festival honoring the deceased centers around the belief that the living and the dead can commune during the brief period.

Known for its bright colors and elaborate, cartoonish skeleton costumes, the festival has become a popular symbol of Mexican culture around the world.

"We're all afraid of death, and in Mexico, it's part of a celebration, a ritual of color. It's amazing," said Alejandra Diaz.

The 30-year-old traveled from Colombia to Mexico City for a week just to take part in the festivities.

The Day of the Dead, which is widely considered to be Mexico's most important festival, is rooted in the indigenous Mexica culture, mixed with Christian superstition brought by Spanish colonizers.

The Mexica were the dominant indigenous population in pre-Hispanic Mexico.

The modern celebration is based on a Mexica legend that after death, people travel through the nine regions of the underworld, known as Mictlan.

According to Octavio Murillo, heritage director at the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples, a person's "final destination was determined by how they behaved in life".

The ancient tradition has since developed into a modern festival.

"It's a celebration with many years of history, to which indigenous peoples have incorporated new religious elements from Christian tradition, such as the gathering of offerings," said Murillo.

Millions of Mexican families set up altars on which they place the personal belongings of the dead and adorn them with the intensely orange Mexican marigold flower and confetti in the shape of skulls.