Day of the Dead - 2025
FAMILY ACTIVITY
Download our FREE Día de Muertos Coloring Book and make your favorite symbols of remembrance pop with color!
Thank you for visiting the KPBS digital community ofrenda and for sharing remembrances of loved ones who passed away. We hope this time has helped you celebrate, honor and remember friends and family who are no longer with us.
While Día de Muertos is celebrated in different ways, the holiday typically concludes on Nov. 2, but the KPBS digital ofrenda will remain on our website for you to continue exploring and remembering your loved ones.
It started with Indigenous rites, and was later influenced by Catholic rituals. The most known Día de Muertos celebratory dates are Nov. 1 and Nov 2. But remembering lost pets is also gaining visibility and is observed on Oct. 27. Then Oct. 28 is designated for souls who suffered an accident, a tragedy or a violent death; Oct. 30 and 31 are dedicated to children who died and were not baptized; Nov. 1 is for the deaths of young children, and also known as All Saints Day; and Nov. 2 is All Souls Day for all adults.
Many ofrendas include traditional elements and there are different beliefs about what they represent. Popular elements that go on altars include photos; skulls; papel picado or decorated tissue; pan de muerto or bread of the dead; candles; incense and marigold flowers, also called cempasúchil, among other elements. Some altars include items to represent the four elements of life: earth, wind, water and fire. Altars also include elements that reflect a family’s love for departed loved ones. You can add items the deceased person enjoyed. For example, food they liked to eat or if they were a fan of a sports team you can add items related to the team.
Social spotlight
KPBS visits Sherman Heights for Noche de Mole for Día de Muertos
A Day of the Dead story: Honoring her parents, celebrating a wedding
Day of the Dead: SDSU professor honors attorney Dan Seigel
From Texas Hold 'em to cattle: A Day of the Dead story
Day of the Dead: Why Beth Accomando loved her 'adorable evil' dog Ein
Stories
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Natalie takes our friend and colleague, Leslie Gonzalez, on her first-ever trip to Tijuana to explore Mercado Hidalgo, celebrate Día de Muertos, and dive into the sights, smells, and flavors of this tradition. -
Oceanside resident Bárbara Moraga shared a Day of the Dead memory of her grandmother with KPBS, explaining the holiday's significance to her and honoring her grandmother's resilience and strength. -
The annual Día de Muertos altar at Mercado Hidalgo is a beloved Tijuana tradition honoring the deceased. -
Download our new Día de Muertos Coloring Book and make your favorite symbols of remembrance pop with color! -
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Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time to honor and remember those we have lost, and welcome them back to visit the land of the living. San Diego will hold several events and festivities to commemorate the tradition, and KPBS found a list of places you can attend and enjoy. -
If you're honoring your loved ones this upcoming Day of the Dead, planting cempasúchil for your ofrenda might be easier than you think. -
A Día de Muertos ofrenda in San Ysidro features the meager belongings of people who died trying to cross the southern border illegally. -
At a historic Southern cemetery, a Mexican tradition has found a home. -
This weekend in the arts: San Diego Opera revisits their first production; contemporary dance; abandoned buildings reimagined as lost souls; symphonic music inspired by a children's book; Adam Belt's light art; Día de Muertos theater, music, dance and more; plus live music picks.
