Dia de muertos (day of the dead), a traditional festival in Mexico for the living to be with their passed away family and friends, is celebrated all over the country. Young people put on make up and dressed up like a skeleton, many homes will put up an alter with photos of their loved ones along with offerings. But the real essence of dia de muertos is in the cemeteries, where people stay over night next to the tomb of their loved ones.
In my visit along Lake Putzcuaro in Michoacan, on the night of dia de muerto, some cemeteries were already deserted, some were full of local and tourist alike, each of them with their little own style but all were lit up by candles and decorated with plenty of marigolds, which I was told is symbolic of their sun god, all things lead the souls of one's family member back for a night of reunion. Some family would stay in the cemetery for two nights consecutively, cause the night before day of the dead is the day of angle, dedicated to lost babies and children.
For the among of livings present in the cemeteries, I'm not sure the dead will come for a reunion, but I'm pretty sure it's a day for family members to come together, to commemorate their loved ones, and to cherish those who are still living.