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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina

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Although dwindling in number, there are still many Americans who have never heard of Día de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead). Those who have heard of it, but don't really know much about it, sometimes refer to it as "Mexican Halloween."

While Halloween and Day of the Dead do share common roots, they are totally different holidays.

One major distinction is that Halloween is only one night, whereas the Day of the Dead is actually a three-day event that is just getting starting on Oct. 31. Halloween is short for All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints' Day, a Catholic celebration commemorating saints and martyrs. All Souls Day, honoring all the Christian departed, follows on Nov. 2. Taken together, the three events are sometimes referred to as Allhallowtide and all of them are part of the Day of the Dead celebrations.

More: Day of the Dead history: Ritual dates back 3,000 years and is still evolving

Halloween's connection to the afterlife has largely been stripped from the holiday. The aspects of the holiday that do touch on death - such as the prevalence of ghosts, ghouls and other spirits in costumes and decorations - tend to focus on our fear of mortality and the spookiness of the unknown.

The Day of the Dead, on the other hand, focuses squarely on death (it's in the name after all). But rather than treating it as something dark and frightening, the Day of the Dead is largely about laughing in the face of death, as represented by the ubiquitous skulls and skeletons known as calaveras and Catrinas, which are often depicted dancing or playing music. And though it is about remembering lost loved ones, the holiday is more a time to celebrate their memories than to mourn their loss.

"The Day of the Dead is a day of connection, remembrance and love - for and with - those who have died ('the ancestors')," said Kristin Norget, author of Days of Death, Days of Life: Ritual in the Popular Culture of Oaxaca. "Halloween is completely lacking this important dimension."

The Day of the Dead is believed to be a time when the spirits of dead ancestors and relatives return to the world of the living for a visit.

"Halloween has nothing to do with ancestors," said Stanley Brandes, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. "Day of the Dead has everything to do with deceased relatives. That's the basis of it."

There is wide variation in the way the Day of the Dead is celebrated across Mexico and the holiday is constantly evolving. For example, Halloween costumes are becoming more common in parts of Mexico on Oct. 31, and large parades have become part of the holiday, especially in Mexico City.

From Oct. 31 to Nov 2. people across Mexico clean relatives' graves and decorate them with bright flowers (typically marigolds) candles and things the deceased loved in life (food, coffee, alcohol and tobacco are common). They stay overnight in the cemetery and hold a vigil at their loved one's grave.

It is also very common, especially for the people unable to make an overnight gravesite visit, to build an elaborately decorated altar in their home, known as an ofrendas, that incorporates reminders of the dead person, including photographs and the things the person loved.

"Come the end of October, a multitude of foreign visitors descends upon Mexico to witness colorful - some would say carnivalesque - ritual performances and artistic displays. Decorated breads, paper cutouts, and plastic toys, most of them playing humorously on the death theme are evident everywhere," Brandes wrote in an article for the American Folklore Society. "Sculpted sugar candies in the form of skulls, skeletons, and caskets suggest an almost irreverent, macabre confrontation with mortality."

All Saints Day and All Soul's Day are observed across the Catholic world, as well as by some Protestant faiths. Many of the elements that make up the Day of the Dead, including the gravesite vigils and sweets are not unique to Mexico. But Mexico stands out for the rich, joyful flavor of the celebration.

"What seems to me unique to Mexico are three features of the celebration: first, the name Day of the Dead; second, the abundance of variety and whimsical sweet breads and candies; and third, the humor and gaiety that pervade the holiday," wrote Brandes.

In Of Corpse: Death and Humor in Folklore and Popular Culture, Kristin Congdon said part of that humor comes from to a reversal of social norms that is tied to Day of the Dead.

"While in some company it might be rude or inappropriate to flaunt or laugh at death, or to conspire with the dead, an aesthetic reversal, especially in a ritual space, can make the unacceptable acceptable," Congdon said. "Additionally, those who might be set aside or forgotten, like the dead, are remade, enjoyed, and visible."

In North American culture, particularly Anglo-Protestant U.S. culture, death is a subject people largely try to bury. "Death has been something to avoid," Norget said. "It is ugly, associated with negative emotions; it's something to be feared."

Norget also said, generally speaking, U.S. culture tries to shield people from the reality of death and move "the ritualization of death from the home" to funeral homes and hospitals.

The contrast in the attitudes toward death in Mexico in the United States was summed up in a famous passage about the Day of the Dead by Mexican author, and Nobel Laureate, Octavio Paz in his 1950 work, The Labyrinth of Solitude.

The word death is not pronounced in New York, in Paris, in London, because it burns the lips. The Mexican, in contrast, is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love.

It is natural, even desirable, to die, and the sooner the better. We kill because life -our own or another's - is of no value. Life and death are inseparable, and when the former lacks meaning, the latter becomes equally meaningless. Mexican death is the mirror of Mexican life.

Brandes believes the idea that Mexicans have a different attitude toward death is greatly overstated, however.

"I see the same reaction that people have to the death of a relative in Mexico as in the United States," Brandes said. 'There's the same kind of grief and dismay and the horrible sense of loss."

But, Brandes does see a difference between a funeral in Mexico, "with its terrible grief and mourning" and the Day of the Dead with "the sort of joyous flavor you get with music and humor."

More: Día de los Muertos event disrespects Arizona cemetery, farmworker families say

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Readers debate: Is America ruining Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead?

Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico are growing and they are becoming bigger in the U.S. as well. Brandes believes much of its popularity is due to its promotion by the Mexican government. In part, the promotion is driven by a desire to increase tourism, but it is also powered by a need to establish a unique, Mexican identity Brandes said.

"For Mexicans, foreigners, and peoples of Mexican descent, the holiday has come to symbolize Mexico and Mexicaness," Brandes said. "It is a key symbol of national identity."

"As death has become less frequent, and people are living longer, the celebration of death has gotten bigger and bigger, and more expensive, and it's due to a lot to hype," he said.

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No, Día de los Muertos isn't 'Mexican Halloween'

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CLOSE Although dwindling in number, there are still many Americans who have never heard of Día de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead). Those who have heard of it, but don't really know much about it, sometimes refer to it as "Mexican Halloween."

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What is El Día de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead," as it's now known in the U.S.?

Despite the white faces and the skulls, it's not meant to be a spooky holiday and it's not Halloween. Also known as Día de Muertos, the celebration originated in central and southern Mexico. Those who celebrate it believe that at midnight on October 31, the souls of all deceased children come down from heaven and reunite with their families on November 1, and the souls of deceased adults come visit on November 2.

Families make colorful altars in their homes in honor of their deceased loved ones, and the altars are decorated with flowers, candles, their loved one's favorite food and pan de muerto (a slightly sweet bread specifically made for this time).

The festivities continue in the cemetery, where families bring picnics, play music and sometimes even spend the night as a way to celebrate the lives of those who are no longer on this earth.
Related: What Is Día de Muertos? 3 Things to Know
The inextinguishable tradition dates back 3,000 years, during the time of the Aztecs. It survived through the 16th century, when the Spanish arrived to central Mexico and thought the tradition to be sacrilegious. Instead of it being abolished, however, the celebration evolved to incorporate elements of Christianity, such as celebrating it on November 1 and 2 instead of on its original summer observance to coincide with All Saints' or All Souls' Day, a time to pray for departed souls.

In San Francisco, California, Martha Rodríguez-Salazar has been working with the San Francisco Symphony for the past 10 years in their annual Día de los Muertos community celebration, which includes music and altars commissioned from different artists.

"My parents never made an altar while I was growing up, but some of my friends did," said Rodríguez-Salazar, a conductor, flutist, mezzo-soprano and teacher who was born and raised in Mexico. "Every November 1st and 2nd, they put altars of family and friends. In the Bay Area, it's become sort of in fashion - its own thing - where people dress up. In Mexico, it's not that way."

"Here is where you paint your face," said Rodríguez-Salazar. "Now with globalization, it's mixing," she explained.

"The tradition [in Mexico] is you invite people to your house for pan de muerto and then you go to the cemetery. You eat food there, drink tequila or mezcal, and that's the celebration. You want to leave your door open because a stranger can bring a spirit of your loved one. You never know."

Dina Leor, owner of La Sirena Mexican folk art store in New York City, has been an avid celebrator of Día de Muertos since she was a little girl, and she's not even Mexican.

"My mom is from Argentina and my dad is American - and my heart is Mexican," Leor told NBC News. "I was around 11 when I first went to Mexico, and I fell in love with the country and culture; I feel so connected to it."
RELATED: Día de los Muertos Altars: Loving Tribute to Deceased Family, Friends
Leor opened her store in 1999, and for 18 years she's been bringing a bit of Mexico to NYC, from its colorful trinkets to its celebrations.

On October 21, she held a Dia de los Muertos pop-up market where she sold everything one needs to make an altar.

"I'd say 90 percent of the people who came were Mexican," said Leor. "A lot of people were coming to buy stuff for their altars. Copál - resin to burn on the altar, and mini papel picados (paper cut outs), and the flowers made out of paper were best sellers."

Leor was also asked to do another pop-up at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, which celebrated Día de Muertos last Saturday.

"A lot of people were asking, 'Is this Halloween?'," Leor said about the visitors, mostly non-Latinos, who were passing by her stand.

"My tables looked like altars with papel picado, figurines, bark paper, and José Guadalupe Posada's prints. This was introducing them to Día de Muertos. The museum wanted to have a Day of the Dead feel, not Halloween, and the woman who ran the gift shop brought pan de muerto."

Leor said the celebration has always made sense to her.

"When I was 8, I made a space for my deceased grandmother and lit a candle for her, and left water for her, and I didn't even know about Día de Muertos," she said, but not everything was as natural. "Before I had my store, I was worried about having skeletons, and now I love them. I find them colorful and joyful."

Juan Castaño, co-founderof Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, moved to New York with his family when he was 22.

"I am a Mexican-American born in the border city in El Paso, Texas. My identity is both Mexican and American. Growing up, I knew about Día de Muertos, but it's not something my family really did, since it came more from southern Mexico," he said. "When we moved to New York, I met people from Puebla, and I started learning more."

When his father passed away, Castaño wanted to do something special, so he decided to make his first altar.

"It was really a beautiful experience...It's a very personal thing," he said. "I remember looking at the altar and putting coffee there, because my dad loved coffee. My mom said, 'No, he would never like it like that - and she took it away and made it piping hot with a little sugar, and the experience created a conversation between us," said Castaño. Dia de Muertos is very powerful, because you feel peace and a beautiful experience remembering someone and celebrating what they did and who they were."

His 14-year-old Calpulli Mexican Dance Company has always incorporated elements from Día de Muertos in performances that started on October 26th and will have a final performance on November 4 in New York's prestigious Town Hall.
Related: Voices: On Día de Muertos, No Elaborate Rituals, Just Honoring My Dad
"The theme and the message of the story if what Día de Muertos is about - the hope that we have to reconnect with the loved ones we have lost," he said. "The world of the dead, according to Aztec mythology is called Mictlan - a beautiful world where we all want to be."

Although they are separate celebrations, Castaño believes there has been a huge influence on Día de Muertos from the U.S. and Halloween, namely the face painting.

"I think anytime cultures come together, it's a way to bring communities together. In my opinion I don't think it's a negative thing," he said. "I have nephews that love Halloween, but I think it's really nice for them to know about Dia de Muertos, too - it's such a nice way to deal with death and celebrate death in a healthy, constructive way."

"For young people, the boogie man [and Halloween] can be traumatizing," said Castaño. "Maybe we can disarm the fear, stress and anxiety of what dying represents."
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El Día de los Muertos is not scary and it's not Halloween, it's about remembering your loved ones

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What is El Día de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead," as it's now known in the U.S.? Despite the white faces and the skulls, it's not meant to be a spooky holiday and it's not Halloween. Also known as Día de Muertos, the celebration originated in central and southern Mexico.

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Las calaveras del dia de los muertos