Dia de los Muertos Tattoos & Make-up: 10 Killer Costumes for the Day of the Dead [Video Tutorial]

Dia de los Muertos, known as the Day of the Dead in English, is celebrated as a holiday on November 1. In Mexico, it is more widely recognized than the Halloween season. 

"Dia de los Muertos honors the dead with festivals and lively celebrations, a typically Latin American custom that combines indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism, brought to the region by Spanish conquistadores. (Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, minor holidays in the Catholic calendar)," National Geographic states.

Instead of friends and families crying over their dead loved ones, the holiday requires that the living celebrate it grandly with food and drinks. Others even do the activities that their dead love ones used to enjoy doing.

The holiday also recognizes death as part of anyone's life and serves as the time of the year for the community to bond with each other.

According to the Huffington Post, those who join the Dia de los Muertos festivities put white face paint with sketches of smiling skulls. Other common presentations include people dressed up as skeletons, performing as dancers and sometimes as musicians.

Difference between Dia de los Muertos and Halloween  

Halloween of course, is that time of the year when children and adults get in their costumes, go around the neighborhood to collect free candies while shouting "Trick or Treat!"

On the other hand, Dia de los Muertos is more focused on the living taking the special time to pray for their deceased loved ones. The utmost goal is to pay respects to the dead and pay tribute to the lives they have once lived, the Huffington Post explains.

KHOU adds that both of the traditions exist hand in hand especially since there are American families who visit Mexico-based cemeteries during the holiday. At the same time, there are Mexican kids who join the trick or treat activities in the U.S. communities.

However, many still fear that the more growing fame of the Halloween season will continue to take the limelight away from the Dia de los Muertos.

Mexican families can only hope that their tradition will remain practiced as fervently as the Halloween season. They particularly honor the dead children on November 1 and the deceased adults on November 2.

To help in remembering the holiday, here are top ten Dia de los Muertos tattoos and costume ideas anyone can consider wearing before joining the event.