It features skulls and falls close to October 31, so people outside of the Latinx community often confuse Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) with Halloween.

However, it’s so much more than a spooky holiday – it’s a two day festival celebrating loved ones who have died as their souls return to earth. Dr Elizabeth Baquedano, senior honorary lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology at UCL, refers to it as “the most important festival in the Mexican calendar”.

Taking place every year on November 1 and 2, Baquedano says: “It’s a joyful celebration, it’s a celebration of life. People remember the deceased, bring flowers, bring music, food, all kinds of things the individual used to enjoy while alive.

“If he [the departed soul] enjoyed drinking wine, they would bring a bottle of wine or a bottle of beer, and they would bring candles, all kinds of food that he enjoyed.”

Altars play a big part – families will decorate their own at home, “but there are altars everywhere throughout the country”, explains Baquedano.

Everything kicks off at midnight: “The bells in the churches are tolled to indicate the souls have departed to come back to earth and celebrate the first and the second of November,” says Baquedano. Revellers will often do their part to help ‘wake up’ the dead – explaining why you might see mariachi bands playing in cemeteries.

For Baquedano, one of the main misconceptions about Day of the Dead is thinking it’s a dark, sad event. “It’s a joyful, peaceful celebration of life… There’s nothing macabre about it, there’s nothing particularly sad about it,” she says. “Obviously, if you have just recently lost a beloved member of the family it’s a sad moment, but in general terms, it’s a very joyful day.”

Day of the Dead is seen as a blending of Aztec and Catholic beliefs. Baquedano says: “The roots go back to pre-Hispanic Mexico, to ancient Mexico, but all of this is very much tainted with Christianity.” It even falls on All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2), Catholic festivals that honour the lives of saints and people who have died.

The key symbols of Day of the Dead…

Marigolds: You’ll see these bright yellow and orange flowers strewn all over altars and across the floor. Known as the flower of the dead, they were valued by ancient Mexicans because they have 20 petals – seen as a symbol of plenty. The thinking is these trails of flowers will lead departed souls back to their loved ones, due to their bright colour and strong smell.

Skulls and skeletons: Known as ‘calaveras’, skulls are some of the most familiar symbols of Día de los Muertos, and can be traced back to its Aztec origins. They take many forms, from face painting to ornately decorated sugar skulls placed on altars. “Skulls and bones are the symbols of permanence,” explains Baquedano. “That’s the only part of the body that remains with us. Blood and everything else decays and rots away, while the bones stay with us as a symbol of endurance.”

La Calavera Catrina has become an icon of the festival – known as the ‘elegant skull’, she’s a smiling skeleton dressed in Parisian, upper-class clothes.

Pan de muerto: This sweet bread is flavoured with orange and aniseed, and decorated with ‘bones’ criss-crossed on top. It’s eaten during the festival, as well as being placed on altars as an offering.