Day of the Dead comes to metro Atlanta

The first days of November carry outsized cultural significance in Mexico — and across Mexican diasporas worldwide.

That’s when families celebrate Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a tradition that honors the deceased and strives to keep their memory alive.

In Mexico, the holiday is celebrated at the household level, with people setting up altars filled with offerings to the dead, which include photos, flowers and sugar skulls. But Día de Muertos is also a communal celebration, with colorful gatherings in town plazas filled with food, music, and dancing.

Residents of metro Atlanta will have a chance to take part in their own neighborhood fiesta. This Sunday, Oakland Cemetery will host a free Día de Muertos celebration, which will take place from noon until 5 p.m. This year’s festival marks the 23rd edition of the event. It typically draws a crowd of thousands.

Organized in partnership with the Consulate General of Mexico and the Institute of Mexican Culture, the festival will feature musical performances, including mariachi and folkloric dances, as well as face painting, crafts, and typical foods. Multiple traditional altars will be on display.

Sunday’s festival attendees will also be able to participate in a Catrina costume contest.

The Catrina, a finely dressed, grinning skeleton wearing an oversized feathered hat, is an allegory of death that has come to embody Día de Muertos — and represent Mexican identity writ large. Legend has it that the Catrina is inspired in the Aztec religious figure Mictecacihuatl, the goddess of death.