Day of the Dead

In Mexico and farther south, families visit cemeteries on November 1, All Saints Day, to commune with their departed and tend to their tombs. New Orleans does this, too, and on the day after Halloween there are various celebrations and observations all over town.

The cemeteries are full of family members tending tombs and graves. Some build colorful altars and leave elaborate displays. Others decorate themselves in the manner of stylized skeletons. It’s a reminder of life and death and another reason that New Orleans is a city like no other.