Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a festival with origins dating back to pre-Hispanic Mexico. Held at the end of October through the beginning of November, it commemorates the deceased and their spiritual journey.

Despite the seemingly gruesome name, it’s not a somber observance of those gone from the Earth’s realm, but rather a celebration marked with food, music, dancing, and rituals such as the building of ofrendas (or altars) to the dead. Traditionally, they come decorated with marigolds, photographs, and the departed’s favorite foods or other personal items. The distinctive visual features of the festival, especially that of skulls and skeletal representations of the dead, are featured in such films as Pixar’s Coco and the Bond film Spectre.